Mayor Kenney Signs law protecting rights of transgender and non-binary residents

Mayor Kenney signed a bill today that protects the rights of non-binary and trans individuals. Councilmember Helen Gym sponsored the bill, according to CBS.

The new law requires all youth organizations to create and implement policies to protect young transgender folks. Additionally, the law requires all public buildings to have access to gender-neutral bathrooms, including bathrooms throughout city hall.

An extensive study performed by The Human Rights Campaign Foundation surveyed youths, post the 2016 election. The survey pulled information from over 50,000 young people from across the U.S. between 13-18 years old.The study showed that 56 percent of those participants fell under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Eleven percent identified themselves as transgender, within that 11 percent 55 percent identified as non-binary. The study reported that post-2016 election, 70 percent saw an increase in bullying. Within that 70 percent, 63 percent said they saw bullying incidents motivated by people’s sexual orientation, 55 percent saw bullying towards gender, and 54 percent saw bullying due to someone’s gender expression.