Dallas suburb's anti-transgender ordinance fails after protests

Rockwall Mayor Jim Pruitt planned to propose a law regulating who can use what bathroom in the Texas city. But during Monday’s city council meeting, he couldn’t even find a second supporter to bring the ordinance to a vote.

The Dallas Morning News reports the council’s inaction soundly defeated Pruitt’s proposal to limit a person’s bathroom usage in Rockwall to their birth sex.

Pruitt had cited Target’s recent support of customers and team members using whatever restroom fits their gender identity in his call for the law. The company’s support for transgender rights has rankled conservatives, and clearly was disturbing Pruitt.

“I don’t know why we’re having this conversation,” Pruitt said after starting this conversation, according to the Morning News. “We are because someone decided to make a policy to allow men unfettered access to women’s bathrooms.”

But dozens of people turned out for the meeting to let their opposition to the law, and their bathroom humor-themed signs, be heard.

In addition to the protests, several speakers came out in opposition to the law during the meeting, including the general manager of the local Hilton hotel, according to CBS Local.

“I urge you to vote no,” the unidentified manager told the council, according to CBS.

But voting no turned out to be unnecessary. Without a second, Pruitt’s proposed ordinance never got put to a vote by the full council. The Morning News does note that some of the council members initially had seemed supportive of the law, but must have changed their minds.

“If Target wants to have this policy, I have the choice of not shopping at Target,” Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Lewis said, according to the Morning News.