Arkansas Senate OKs bathroom bill that critics call extreme

By ANDREW DeMILLO
Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A bill that would criminalize transgender people using restrooms that match their gender identity has won initial approval in the Arkansas Legislature. Critics said the bill approved by state Senate on Tuesday would be the most extreme in the country and goes further than a North Carolina law that was repealed following boycotts and protests. The Arkansas bill would allow someone to be charged with misdemeanor sexual indecency with a child if they use a public restroom or changing room of the opposite sex when a minor is present. The bill now heads to the majority-Republican House.