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North Carolina needs to start restroom pat downs to enforce latest bill

Joaquin Carcano, center, the lead plaintiff in the case, speaks during a press conference to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit challenging North Carolina's HB 2 law at the LGBT Center of Raleigh, N.C. on Monday. (AP)

There is now a federal lawsuit against the State of North Carolina over who can use what restroom.

The reason is that last week the Legislature passed a law to stop local governments from formally allowing transgender people to use whichever restroom they identify with.

Related: Seattle Mayor bans city employee travel to North Carolina

Instead, transgender people have to use the restroom corresponding to the sex written on their birth certificate. That is a big relief to this voter.

“We’re back to the way it was before, girls and women going to the lady’s room,” one woman said. “Boys and men going to the men’s room. And so, yeah, it puts my heart at ease.”

But I’m not sure about that. Just listen to Joaquin Carcano, one of the transgender men who is suing.

“As a male, I use the men’s restroom as I should,” he said. “We are no different than any of you. I guarantee you’ve shared a restroom with us.”

He may have been born a woman, but I Googled his picture, and I can tell you he looks like a man. If I saw him going into the women’s restroom it would be weird.

And there is this transgender woman.

“Don’t treat me like I am somebody who is so foreign that you have to knock down legislation that gives me basic protections,” she said.

She may have been born a man, but she looks exactly like a woman. And yet North Carolina law would force her to follow me into the men’s room. I’ve been to public restrooms in France where that happens, but this is America, darn it!

How do you check to make sure all the women are women anyhow? X-ray machines? A TSA pre-restroom pat down? A no-pee list?

Dave Ross on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM

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About the Author

Dave Ross

Dave Ross hosts the Morning News on KIRO Radio weekdays from 5-9 a.m. Dave has won the national Edward R. Murrow Award for writing five times since he started at KIRO Radio in 1978.

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