State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) told 1819 News on Monday morning that she intends to file a “Women’s Bill of Rights” (WBR) before next year’s legislative session begins.
The bill will reflect last year’s “What is a Woman?” bill, which passed the House Committee on Health but ran out of time before receiving a vote in the House.
Like last year’s bill, the current proposal, if passed, will codify the definitions of the male and female sexes in the law.
To draft the bill, DuBose said she’s working with the Independent Women’s Forum and Riley Gaines, the former University of Kentucky swimmer who lost to a biological male in 2022 and now campaigns against the participation of biological males in female sports.
DuBose promised this year’s bill is “better” and “more clear” than the last.
“I’m basically honoring and defining into code the time-honored definition of sex, male, female, man and woman,” she explained. “That’s for the purpose of, one, transparency, truth in advertising so that when someone sees the word ‘male’ or ‘female,’ ‘man’ or ‘woman,’ they know what that means when it comes to law or public spaces.”
“It’s also important for vital statistics,” she continued. “Think about medical diagnosis … There are conditions that are more prevalent among either males or females - heart disease, heart conditions, some types of cancer. There are a lot of issues where [a medical professional] needs to know what you really are, so they can help diagnose you and give you preventative care.”
DuBose emphasized that the bill does not impact one’s right to identify with whatever gender they see fit.
“There are those who identify differently based on their gender, and those people should be treated with respect and loved,” DuBose said. “... This should not interfere with their ability to do that in any way.”
“I want it to be a simple bill,” she added. “I really do. I want it to be simple. I don’t want to get it convoluted with other issues. It’s just simply defining male, female, man and woman by the time-honored definition.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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