Colorado recently passed a state law that allows men and women to use either restroom. But it's not only happening in Colorado.
Similar laws and ordinances are being enforced in some cities and counties in Maryland, Iowa, Florida and elsewhere. Known as "public accommodation" laws, they open all public restrooms and locker rooms to both sexes.
Cain Davis, chairman of Citizens for Good Public Policy, said Gainesville, Fla., appears to be the latest battlefront.
“Basically, if a person feels like (the) sex opposite of that in which they were born, they have the legal right to utilize a facility of the sex in which they feel," he said.
Davis said gay and "transgendered" activists have launched a coordinated effort.
“They basically count down, 'OK, we’ve gotten that city, we’ve gotten that county, what’s the next one?' That’s the process they’ve been using for years.”
There are repeal efforts under way in Maryland and Iowa, but Jenny Tyree, associate marriage analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the gay lobby is likely to put pressure on more cities and states.
“These laws put women and children at risk in places of public accommodation — places where they should feel safe," she said.
Doug Stiegler, executive director of the Association of Maryland Families, said concerned Americans may have to "start locking bathrooms so your granddaughter or your daughter is safe.”
