3 Weeks!

That is all the time we have left.

The general assembly adjourns at midnight June 5^th and after that all bills are dead.

Here is my best guess on the bills that I have been tracking…

HB-5505 AN ACT CONCERNING THE UPDATING OF STATE FORMS AND APPLICATIONS TO INCLUDE A NONBINARY GENDER OPTION. --- Very little chance of passing

HB-6219 AN ACT CONCERNING SAFE BATHROOM FACILITIES AT SCHOOLS FOR GENDER NONCONFORMING STUDENTS. --- DOA

HB-7359 AN ACT CONCERNING A LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND QUEER HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NETWORK. --- Very little chance of passing.

SB-58 AN ACT CONCERNING GAY AND TRANSGENDER PANIC DEFENSE. --- This bill has the best chance of passing it passed in the Senate 34 to 0

SB-388 AN ACT CONCERNING INTERSEX PERSONS. --- I don’t think this has any chance of passing.

I think that if there is any opposition to the bills that the bills will not be advanced, the legislature is tied up in the budget, tolls, and the marijuana bills. Because SB-58 passed in the Senate unanimously I think it will be voted on in the House. Both HB-5505 & HB-7359 will need to make it through both chambers in 3 weeks and that is possible but unlikely.

HB-6219 never had a chance; it is a duplicate of the gender inclusive non-discrimination law PA11-55. Reading the law it says…

(21) "Gender identity or expression" means a person's gender-related identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that gender-related identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the person's physiology or assigned sex at birth…

Nowhere in the law does it define gender as a binary; the law was purposely written as to be all inclusive so passing a law to add non-binary to the non-discrimination statute is not necessary. In addition the CT Department of Education in their FAQ on transgender and non-binary students says…

1. What civil rights protections are afforded to transgender and gender non-conforming students in Connecticut public schools?
Connecticut public schools must provide students with an equal opportunity to participate in school activities, programs and courses of study without discrimination on account of gender identity or expression. This obligation applies irrespective of concerns or objections raised by other students, parents, staff, or other community members. The questions and answers that follow provide more specific details concerning civil rights protections afforded to transgender and gender non-conforming students in the public school environment.

So if you want these bill voted on call your legislators and tell them to push the bills along and the other thing you can do is hope that they settle the budget, tolls, and the marijuana bills quickly because the faster they get those bills out of the way the better chance we have in those bills being passed.