By Roger Wilder, State Representative from District 71 and member of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus)  — It is the primary duty of our government to provide for the public safety and welfare of our citizens. Protecting the rights of our people is part of a mandate, a social compact between the citizens and the government, that in our democratically-elected Republic represents a balance of interests that must be grounded in fact.

While campaigning in Livingston Parish, I was made aware of an incident that occurred in Louisiana House District 71, which I now have the honor of representing.  A male demanded access to the girls’ changing rooms at a local public facility.  There are also changing rooms designated for men, so there was no valid reason why this biological, anatomical male needed access to the women’s private space to change his clothes.

When public officials declined to grant him access, citing the desire to protect the privacy and safety of the facility’s female patrons, there were threats of legal action, not only against the entity, but against the public officials as individuals as well.  No one should be subject to legal threat in this sort of expensive, punishing process, simply for doing their job. Our public officials deserve clarity in the law, as well as protection from arbitrary “legal” threats.

In response, I am offering up House Bill 608, the Women’s Safety and Protection Act. HB 608 is slated for public hearing on April 8, 2024, in the House Committee on Civil Law. I have heard from women across the state who support this legislation. This bill provides a legal definition of male and female and requires any agency of the government to make the distinction between the male and female sexes with respect to athletics, correctional facilities, juvenile detention facilities, domestic violence shelters or any other facility or accommodation where safety, health and privacy should be afforded to both sexes.

Enough is enough.

“Gender” and “sex” are not synonymous. Sex is a biological fact recorded at birth. The term gender is a cultural term that elevates the expression of arbitrary feelings above clearly observable realities. This progressive gender ideology is completely divorced from the science of XX or XY makeup of male and female human beings.

The differences between the sexes have been understood and honored from time immemorial, as told in the Book of Genesis, when God first created man and woman. This bill will codify these distinctions into Louisiana law. HB 608 ensures that the privacy, protection and confidence of women and girls will not be violated in spaces where they should never feel vulnerable. They should be able to expect protection in places such as a bathroom or locker room at school, a steam room at the gym, a dressing room at a department store, and a changing room at the ballpark.

The Women’s Safety and Protection Act will ensure that our mothers, wives and daughters will no longer be forced to forfeit their privacy, security or confidence in their safety within these private spaces.

Roger Wilder is the State Representative from District 71 and is a member of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus.