Earlier this morning, the Illinois House Human Services Committee, without taking testimony or further action, moved House Bill 4474 sponsored by Representative Tom Morrison to a subcommittee. With the deadline for moving legislation out of Committee quickly approaching at the end of the week, it is hoped that this measure, which would require Illinois public schools to deny students who are transgender access to gender-appropriate restrooms, will not move further during this session.

The following can be attributed to John Knight of the ACLU of Illinois:

We are hopeful that this will mark a quiet end to this discriminatory legislation. As a result of public discussion of this misguided proposal, many schools across the state -- schools that already adopted and implemented welcoming and affirming policies for their students who are transgender -- have feared about the future of their students. This is unfortunate. Schools are making these policies work in all parts of the state, making life easier and reducing the opportunities for harassment and discrimination for students who are transgender. We need to expand such policies, not adopt a statewide, discriminatory bill.