Will This Anger Some? Controversial New Arizona Law Would Define Men and Women

• SB 1628, The Women's Bill of Rights, passed in the Arizona State Senate
• The bill is aimed at protecting the rights of women, including the preservation of "sex-specific" spaces, like bathrooms
• The bill aims to clarify existing state laws
• Opponents believe the bill could create danger for transgender and non-binary individuals

Protecting Women and Girls in Arizona

It's being called the Arizona Women’s Bill of Rights, and supporters of Arizona's SB 1628 say the proposed legislation would protect the rights and interests of women and girls in the state of Arizona.

The bill was introduced this year by Arizona State Senator Sine Kerr.

What is Arizona SB 1628: The Women's Bill of Rights?

The Arizona Daily Independent reports Senator Kerr's bill SB1628 would, "bring clarity and uniformity to state laws governing sex discrimination and equality of the sexes."

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Quoting Senator Kerr as saying, "[T]he bill helps preserve sex-specific spaces and clarifies relevant definitions to ensure the safety and well-being of girls and women in Arizona."

If passed, the bill would:

• Define a person’s sex as his or her biological sex - male or female - for all purposes of state law. The bill will also define sex-based terms like woman, girl, man, boy, mother, and father.
• Protect the safety and privacy of women and girls by preserving single-sex spaces, such as restrooms, locker rooms, shelters, prisons, and sports teams.
• The bill will not change current law or create any new restrictions on anyone’s legal rights.
• The bill will clarify and confirm existing laws and policies based on sex.

Bills Like Arizona's SB 1628 Intend to Clarify Existing Laws

Arizona is not the only state in the nation to address this controversial subject.

This week in New York's Nassau County, County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced that "he will use an executive order to ban transgender athletes from competing in events aligning with their gender identity in county-run facilities," ABC7NY reports.

The order will only be applied to female competitive sports but will not affect co-ed sports.

In a similar spirit to the action being taken in New York, the Center for Arizona Policy says SB 1628 will clarify existing state laws that reference gender equality and the benefits and services provided to women and girls, and men and boys.

The Controversy: Would Arizona SB 1628 Be Bad for Arizona?

Opponents say this bill is discriminatory and harmful to transgender and non-binary individuals and say the bill could have negative consequences.

SB 1628 recently passed the Arizona State Senate with a 16-12 vote that followed party lines. It still has a long way to go before being passed into law.