ABC/Randy HolmesElton John has lent his voice in protest against North Carolina’s House Bill 2, otherwise known as the “bathroom bill,” which mandates a person must use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender at birth. Many, including the U.S. Justice Department, see it as discriminatory against the transgender community.
In a written commentary penned for The Hill, John said the bill is a “brand of ignorance” that “shuts out the perspective of an already marginalized community.”
“It’s dangerous,” John wrote. “It goes beyond bathrooms.”
He says the law “lacked compassion” by forcing transgender people to use the bathroom of a gender with which they don’t identify. He additionally asserted that the legislation “isn’t just inconvenient or impractical,” but “for many, especially young students still grappling with their transition, it can be traumatic, and at worst, unsafe.”
Elton also took the time to praise South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard, who vetoed controversial bathroom legislation in his state. John wrote that Daugaard had never met a transgender person before the legislation was introduced, but opted not to sign the law after meeting with transgender activists.
He urged North Carolina to follow Dauggard’s lead and “reverse course.”
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