Elderly residents of care homes in California could soon have to share rooms with members of the opposite sex, after a pro-LGBT Bill was proposed in March.
The controversial SB 219 Bill would allow a transsexual person to occupy a room and use washing facilities based on the gender of their choosing. SB 219 was introduced in the California State Senate in February and it was amended by a pro-LGBT senator in March.
The law would prevent any care home residents or staff from objecting and there are no exemptions on religious grounds.
This means that vulnerable women could be forced to share a bedroom with a biological male – and vice versa – and would have no right to request that the person is removed.
Privacy advocate Karen England criticised the Bill, saying: ‘This legislation strips privacy rights from vulnerable, elderly individuals while giving new rights to transgender individuals.’
She also criticised the double standard, as non-transgender people are not given the right to object while transgender people can choose to share a room with either men or women.
