The Porterville City Council could soon consider a “Protect Women’s Safe Spaces” ordinance proposed by Porterville Mayor Greg Meister. The proposal has drawn the attention of LGBT advocates in Porterville and Tulare County who say that it’s discriminatory.
At the end of the council’s February 18 meeting, the council unanimously voted in favor of Meister’s motion for the city’s attorney and manager “look at” an ordinance he sent them which would “protect women’s safe spaces.”
He said that the men of the council — the city’s council is entirely male — had a “high duty to protect the women in our community.”
“The goal of this is to set law in the City of Porterville to protect women’s safe spaces like bathrooms, locker rooms, sports — things where women in Title IX have the right to have their own space, and it’s something that is a big issue in our country,” Meister said. “And it’s something that is a big issue in our country, and I feel the need to fight at a local level to protect women in our community.”
While he didn’t mention transgender individuals during his brief statement and motion, Meister told the Porterville Recorder the next day that his proposal “would call for not allowing biological men to use women’s facilities and biological women to use men’s facilities,” adding that he “believes in an option for unisexual facilities.”
Local LGBT advocates say that the proposal is unnecessary and discriminatory.
“I think it’s important to understand for trans individuals as well, discriminating against trans people will not affect the safety of anyone in a restroom,” Erika Hawkyard, Director of Programs for The Source LGBT+ Center, told KMPH FOX 26.
Hawkyard added that it was part of Porterville’s “track record of trying to limit LGBTQ+ freedoms,” likely referring to the city’s endorsement of Proposition 8 in 2008, which banned same-sex marriage in California, as well as a 2013 controversy over an LGBT Pride Month proclamation that resulted in protests and national attention.
In response to the proposal, the Tulare County Stonewall Democrats is organizing a protest on March 4, two hours before the next Porterville City Council meeting.
A post from Porterville Equality and Fairness for All, a group formed after the 2013 proclamation controversy, stated that the group would become active again in response to the proposal.
“Looks like this page is going to have to become active again, almost 18 years after Porterville California City Council started unrolling one anti LGBTQ ordinance and resolution after another, it looks like they are going to wake from a pandemic-induced slumber and propose an anti-trans bathroom ordinance as early as March 4, 2025,” the post stated.
The next Porterville City Council meeting will be held March 4, 2025, at 6:30pm.
Tony Maldonado contributed to this story
A portion of the email I have sent to Porterville’s Mayor, and City Council members:
RE: “Protect Women’s Safe Spaces”
This proposal is a solution in search of a problem. There are no verifiable arrests or convictions of a trans-woman sexually assaulting a cis-woman or girl in a bathroom or locker room. It’s just not a thing, but you seem determined to embarrass Porterville by adding to its already notorious reputation as anti-LGBTQ.
I had thought Porterville was making progress, but we’ll see if and when this comes up for a vote if that progress was real, or just fantasy.
I want you to consider the following scenario:
A man decides to follow a woman (or a young girl) into a restroom in order to sexually assault her. He does not want to attract attention, so what does he do? Just walk in? Risky. He stands out dressed like a man. Maybe someone sees him following his target into the restroom. As the ordinances stand now, if he wants to get in without attracting attention, he’ll need to get into some kind of women’s wear. He needs to look like a woman.
Under your proposed ordinance, it will be common to see people who look like men walking into the women’s restroom, because you’ve required trans-men to use them. Our bad guy can now just walk right in, and if anyone challenges him, he can claim to be a trans-man, who you required to use this restroom.
Nobody will know the difference, unless you’re going to post genital inspectors at the door.
Knock off the anti-trans discrimination and hate, Mr. Mayor. It’s a bad look for you, and sets Porterville back a decade.