Yesterday Virginia's Del, Robert G. Marshall (Prince William) was livid at members of the Virginia House General Laws subcommittee as his plan to remove transgender people from public life in his state was tabled by the Republican-controlled committee.

Marshall's "Physical Privacy Act" was first amended, by him, to strike the word "original" from the legislation...meaning that the legal gender of post-operative transpeople would be acknowledged by the state.

The amendment would have allowed those who undergo sex-reassignment therapy or surgery and who have their birth certificates changed to reflect that to use the bathroom associated with their gender identity.

If someone goes through the process of changing their sex — I don’t think it’s very smart because such people have very high rates of self-harm. That’s documented, not from me. But if they go through that, fine. Let them use that bathroom.

Marshall said the purpose of the bill was to protect women and girls from predatory men who might pretend to be transgender to gain access to areas where women are undressed.

Because predatory men...or any men, for that matter...pretending to be transgender has been a huge problem across the country.

A handful of conservative and liberal activists testified for and against the measure. Then, with no discussion among the subcommittee’s five Republicans and two Democrats, Del. Barry D. Knight (R-Virginia Beach) moved to lay the bill on the table. The action kills the bill unless the subcommittee reverses itself within a week’s time, Marshall said.

The motion to table was passed in a voice vote.

Subcommittee members continued with their meeting after the vote and were not immediately available for comment.

They don’t even want to defend their oath. That’s disgusting.

--Marshall

Precisely a week earlier, a similar bill was stifled in the Indiana legislature.

Meanwhile the republican governors or Arkansas and Kentucky have declared such laws to be wholly unnecessary.