Sen. John "Coward-nagh's" Transphobic SB1001 Passes Committee
"Dead on arrival," says Governor Hobbs' Chief of Staff
On January 18th, the Senate Education Committee voted 4-3 to move forward the transphobic SB1001. Votes were across the party lines with Ken Bennett, Steve Kaiser, Sine Karr and Justine Wadsack voting in favor, Sally Ann Gonzales, Christine Marsh and Catherine Miranda voting against.
What Would SB1001 Do?
Introduced by Senator John Kavanagh, SB1001 is a two-part “pronouns” bill. The first section would limit teachers and school administrators from referring to their transgender and gender nonconforming students by their preferred pronouns. Students under 18 would have to receive written parental permission if their pronoun “differs from the pronoun that aligns with the student’s biological sex.” This would force teacher to out transgender students to their parents, a decision that is a personal and sometimes dangerous choice.
According to the Trevor Project, over a quarter of LGBTQ+ youth have “reported experiencing homelessness or housing instability at one point in their lives.” LGBTQ+ homeless youth reported experiencing parental abandonment and mistreatment due to their identity. Several critics of SB1001, including teens, talked about the ways they were ostracized from their families after coming out as transgender.
“When I told my parents, all I got was conversion therapy,” said local school teacher Sadie Redfern. “This legislation sends a message of hopelessness. It would treat transgender children as if they’re invisible and easily erased.”
Kavanagh acknowledged some LGBTQ+ youth could face abuse or be thrown out of the house if they were forcibly outed but otherwise disregarded these concerns as a “cynical view of the American family.” Kavanagh also made it clear he does not even believe transgender children and teens exist, referring them as “so-called transgender youth” in his commentary.
Kavanagh defended this section as a win for “parental rights.”
The second half of SB1001 would then allow for teachers and staff to ignore the student and parent’s request due to “religious and moral convictions.” Kavanagh defended this section as a win for “religious rights.”
Sen. Christine Marsh questioned whose “rights” trump whose in this situation: “What if the parent agrees? Doesn’t that undermine the whole parental right?”
Kavanagh explained the intention: "The parental right I was talking about was the right of the parent to be informed that their child has a potentially serious condition.”
The transphobic message is obvious. Transgender and gender nonconforming students would be forcibly outed, then misgendering and discriminating against them would be legally protected.
“I know personally for me, my teachers and classmates supporting me in the classroom has positively impacted my performance at school, said David Trujillo, a 15-year-old transgender teenager defending his rights. “I couldn’t imagine having to focus on schoolwork while my teachers are being my biggest bullies in the classroom by not supporting me or using my correct pronouns."
Weaponizing Religion in the Classroom
Sen. Marsh questioned the bills “religious and moral convictions” component, asking if there were other examples where teachers can use their religion to ignore a parent’s request. Kavanagh could not come up with any examples and instead rambled that it was comparable to a Muslim student being allowed to wear a headscarf in their school photo.
Marsh questioned Kavanagh even further, asking what would happen if a Christian instructor began to target a Muslim student due to their so-called “religious convictions.” Kavanagh offered no resolution to the possible slippery slope SB1001 opens up.
Arizona TransAlliance co-founder Erica Kepler noted that religious convictions were being used as an excuse to discriminate against transgender students, rather than a reason to affirm them. “The bill gives special rights to some unknown religion that believes in being mean to people and tramples on the Christian rite of kindness,” she said.
“It is a markedly anti-Christian bill. If someone believes in and practices the core Christian tenet of ‘doing unto others as you would have them do onto you’ then it’s a violation of their free exercise of religion as it would legally mandate that they use pronouns they know that student would resent,” Kepler continued to a room of claps and applause.
Here Comes the Nickname Police
Committee chairman Ken Bennett questioned if nicknames would be targeted by the bill. Bennett, who would vote in favor of SB1001, worried cisgender students would be unable to go by their preferred nickname.
“I spent most of my K-12 life being called ‘Kenny’ although my given name was ‘Kenneth’ and I longed during my K-12 years to someday be called ‘Ken,’” he said. “I would not support a bill that would not allow people to call ‘Robert’ ‘Bobby.’”
“Just keep that same sentiment when we move forward,” responded Sen. Catherine Miranda. He did not.
Adding even more gender policing to SB1001, an amendment was added to ensure nicknames are protected but only for cisgender students. Kavanagh explained a student named “John” could go by “Johnny” but would be restricted from going by “Jane.” A clear example of discrimination.
“This would allow for a name other than their official name if it’s a derivative nickname,” Kavanagh said.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Bigots Far Outnumbered
Overall, nearly 20 people spoke up about SB1001 with the overwhelming majority asking the Education Committee to vote against the bill. Only four were in favor, with most being familiar faces from the local anti-LGBTQ bigot brigade. Failed Superintendent GOP candidate Shiry Sapir was the first to speak up in favor of SB1001 worrying, “this is about Bobby becoming Barbra.” Sapir previously lead a book ban effort at Paradise Valley Unified School District.
Peoria Unified School District board member Heather Rooks claimed she knew people in her district who left the school because using pronouns is against their religion. Rooks (noted gender understander) went on to say pronouns “reveal their sexual attraction” (wrong) because “preferred pronouns in general are implying sexual attractions or preferences” (also wrong). Rooks, who has a history of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, won her school board election back in November.
Robert Wallace, claiming to be the lead of a local chapter of anti-trans hate group Gays Against Groomers, also spoke in favor of the bill. Wallace was speaking on behalf of the hate organization stating humanity shouldn’t be “forced” to “accommodate that mental condition.”
After tabling at AmericaFest in Phoenix back in December, Gays Against Groomers announced they were launching chapters in every state. Gays Against Groomers founder Jaimee Michell blamed gender-affirming care for the Club Q massacre in Colorado Springs. Earlier this week, anti-LGBTQ+ protester John Fournace was spotted representing Gays Against Groomers while shouting “most of us want to kill all of you,” outside a Dallas drag show. Gays Against Groomers’ website shows Wallace as the Fountain Hills chapter leader.
Despite the few bigots, the room was mostly packed with allies and transgender and nonconforming Arizonans of every age. Teachers spoke up in defense of their trans students and the safe spaces schools are meant to provide for all students. Parents showed up to defend their trans children.
Karen Orlando expressed gratefulness for her child’s teachers affirming them before coming out to her: “I was not angry I was not upset, I was thankful I was grateful that these teachers and people in positions in authority had respected my child. Had seen them. Had supported them. Had given that encouragement that they could then come talk to me. Which I know was very scary for them.”
Liberty Elementary school board member Paul Bixler also addressed the committee. Bixler has been experiencing an endless wave of harassment and hate since coming out as a trans woman. “All these students need is someone who they trust and is knowledgeable and can, if needed, help a student gain an understanding,” she said. “Please don’t put more burden than they already have.”
Sen. Justice Wadsack quickly called “time” before Bixler could finish. Others throughout the hour were given a chance to finish their speech after going over their 2-minute limit.
Wadsack also quickly called “time” on Robert Renner who called the Republican bill fascist. “I just want to say that this bill is the most fascist thing I’ve ever seen. This is fascism. The Republican Party has been taken over by fascism.”
Renner went onto call bill sponsor Sen. Kavanagh “Coward-nagh.”
Before voting to move SB1001 forward, Wadsack claimed students using pronouns was introducing “politics” to the classroom. Wadsack also said she was worried about the mental health of students who don’t want to acknowledge a transgender student’s pronouns.
SB1001 still passed committee 4-3 despite overwhelming objection from the room. The bill has a long way to go before reaching Governor Katie Hobbs’ desk and, if it does, she’s promised to veto all anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Hobbs’ Chief of Staff Allie Bones confirmed the bill was dead on arrival and asked the Arizona Republicans to stop these hateful attacks against the LGBTQ+ community:
“The Governor was clear in her State of the State that it’s time to focus on real issues. Going after LGBTQ kids doesn’t fit the bill. I hope the Legislature doesn’t waste anymore time on this, because it’s DOA,” Bones tweeted.
Something tells me they won’t listen.
MORE ON SB1001: Full bill, amendment, and full video of the 1/18/2028 hearing.