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NATION Saturday, May 14, 2016 East Oregonian Page 9A States dig in against transgender directive By JONATHAN DREW and PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. — Poli- ticians in Texas, Arkansas and elsewhere vowed deiance — and other conservative states could follow suit — after the Obama administration told public schools across the U.S. on Friday to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. The federal government’s guidance was met with tearful praise from parents of trans- gender students. “It’s heartbreaking that these kids are losing their lives because they can’t be accepted,” Hope Tyler, who has a transgender son at a Raleigh high school, said in reference to suicides among transgender people. “Some- body has to speak for the kids.” The directive from the U.S. Justice and Education Departments represents an escalation in the fast-moving dispute over what is becoming the civil rights issue of the day. One by one, conservative political leaders thundered against it and President Barack Obama. “This is the most outrageous example yet of the Obama administration forcing its liberal agenda on states that roundly reject it,” said Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant. The guidance was issued just days after the Justice Department and North Caro- lina sued each other a state law requiring transgender people to use the public bathroom that corresponds to the sex on their birth certiicate. The law applies to schools and many other places. While supporters say the measure is needed to protect women and children from sexual predators, the Justice Department and others argue the threat is practically nonexistent and the law discriminatory. The guidance issued on Friday is not legally binding, since the question of whether federal civil rights law protects transgender people has not been deinitively answered by the courts and may ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. But schools that refuse AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz Passengers wait in a security line at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, Friday. As liers wait in security lines, gov’t asks for patience AP Photo/Gerry Broome In this photo taken Thursday, signage is seen outside a restroom at 21c Museum Hotel in Durham, N.C. North Carolina is in a legal battle over a state law that requires transgender people to use the public restroom matching the sex on their birth certiicate. The ADA-compliant bathroom signs were designed by artist Peregrine Honig. “The last time I checked, the United States is not ruled by a king who can bypass Congress and the courts and force school-age boys and girls to share the same bathrooms and locker rooms.” — Phil Berger, N.C.’s Republican Senate leader to comply could be hit with civil rights lawsuits from the government and could face a cutoff of federal aid to education. Texas’ lieutenant governor said the state is prepared to forfeit billions rather than let the Obama administration dictate restroom policy for its 5.2 million students. “We will not be black- mailed by the president’s 30 pieces of silver,” Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said. Rodney Cavness, superintendent of the Port Neches-Groves school district in Texas, told KFDM-TV: “When I get that letter, I’ll throw it away.” Similarly, GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said schools should disregard the directive, which he derided as “social engineering.” Governors and top leaders in other conservative states railed against the guidance but stopped short of telling schools to ignore it. “The last time I checked, the United States is not ruled by a king who can bypass Congress and the courts and force school-age boys and girls to share the same bath- BRIEFLY General is irst woman to lead top-tier U.S. combat command PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) — Air Force Gen. Lori J. Robinson on Friday became the irst woman to lead a top-tier U.S. warighting command when she took charge of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command in Colorado. Robinson — one of just two female four-star generals in the Air Force — was “the clear and obvious choice,” said Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who attended the change of command ceremony in a vast hangar at Peterson Air Force Base. Outside, a row of cannons ired a 19-gun salute. Carter praised Robinson’s extensive experience and her skill as a strategic thinker capable of making split-second, life-and-death decisions. Her promotion shows the U.S. has female oficers qualiied for the most senior positions, he said. Robinson is an inspiration to female cadets at the nearby Air Force Academy, said Academy Superintendent Michelle Johnson, a three-star general and the irst woman to head the school. “They appreciate seeing somebody that they can aspire to,” Johnson said after the ceremony. Robinson’s family has deep roots in the Air Force. Her husband, David Robinson, is a retired two-star general and was a pilot in the Thunderbirds demonstration team. A daughter, 2nd Lt. Taryn Ashley Robinson, was fatally injured in a pilot training crash months after graduating from the Air Force Academy. She died in January 2006, four weeks before her 23rd birthday. People who know Robinson describe her as the personiication of a new generation of leaders, someone who understands that the Air Force has a broad role in space, cybersecurity and drones, not just lying and ighting. rooms and locker rooms,” North Carolina’s Republican Senate leader Phil Berger said. And Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin said: “It is dificult to imagine a more absurd federal overreach into a local issue.” However, Democratic Govs. Peter Shumlin of Vermont and Jay Inslee of Washington praised the Obama directive, saying it was consistent with their own policies. “I applaud the Obama administration for estab- lishing policies that will better provide all our children an opportunity to thrive,” Inslee said. The federal guidance may portend more court ights over transgender bathroom access. Already, oficials from eight states — West Virginia, Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Maine and North Carolina — signed on to a brief in recent days asking a federal appeals court to re-hear a case in which it sided with a Virginia trans- gender student seeking to use the boys’ bathroom. The new guidance says public schools must treat transgender students in a way that matches their gender identity, even if their education records indicate a different sex. Some school systems around the country already accommodate transgender students when it comes to bathroom use. Nearly half the high schools in the 53,000-student Seattle district have gender-neutral restrooms, and students can also use the bathrooms in the nurses’ ofice, spokeswoman Stacy Howard said. The National School Boards Association has published guidelines for its members in dealing with transgender students. It stops short of telling them exactly what to do, instead advising them to work with their attor- neys to determine the best course amid a “shifting legal landscape.” Francisco Negron, chief attorney for the organization, said there is a “disconnect” between what is happening in various states and what the federal government is demanding, “and school districts are caught in the middle.” WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a growing backlash over extremely long waits at airport security, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson asked liers “to be patient” as the government takes steps to get them onto planes more quickly. Travelers across the country have endured lengthy security lines, some snaking up and down escala- tors, or through food courts, and into terminal lobbies. At some airports, lines during peak hours have topped 90 minutes. Airlines have reported holding planes at gates to wait for passengers to clear security. Johnson said Friday that the government is working to ease the lines, although travelers should expect to wait as they travel this summer. Whatever steps TSA takes, Johnson said, it won’t neglect its duty to stop terrorists. “Our job is to keep the American people safe,” Johnson told reporters at a news conference. “We’re not going to compromise aviation security in the face of this.” The Transportation Security Administration has fewer screeners and has tightened security procedures. Airlines and the TSA have been warning customers to arrive at the airport two hours in advance, but with summer travel season approaching even that might not be enough. Airlines are expecting a record number of liers this summer, meaning more passengers and bags to screen. Johnson said TSA is working with airlines to enforce limits on carry-on bags and their size. Passengers often over-pack carry-ons to avoid paying the $25 checked bag fee most airlines charge. Two U.S. senators this week suggested that airlines should drop those fees. But that doesn’t appear to be a solution either. The TSA still scans checked luggage. And even that might not ease checkpoint problems. On Thursday, a video surfaced of giant lines at Chicago’s Midway airport. Southwest Airlines — which is the only U.S. airline that doesn’t charge for checked bags — is the predominant airline at Midway. In the past three years, the TSA and Congress cut the number of front-line screeners by 4,622 — or about 10 percent — on expectations that an expe- dited screening program called PreCheck would speed up the lines. However, not enough people enrolled for TSA to realize the antic- ipated eficiencies. Congress this week agreed to shift $34 million in TSA funding forward, allowing the agency to pay overtime to its existing staff and hire an extra 768 screeners by June 15 to bring it up to the congres- sionally mandated ceiling of 42,525. BUTTE CHALLENGE THANK YOU A special thank you to everyone who helped with the East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald 17th Annual Butte Challenge 5 & 10k Walk & Run. Each of you had a part in the success of this event. We should all be proud to be living in such a wonderful community! Sheriff Joe Arpaio found in contempt of court PHOENIX (AP) — A judge found the longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix in contempt of court Friday for disobeying his orders in a racial proiling case, bringing the lawman who calls himself “America’s Toughest Sheriff” a step closer to a possible criminal contempt case that could expose him to ines and even jail time. The ruling Friday marked one of the biggest legal defeats in the six-term career of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is known for cracking down on illegal immigration, and was expected to lead to greater court oversight of his ofice. A hearing will be held May 31 to examine whether he will face a criminal contempt case. Two months ago, Arpaio made national news by showering his support on Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, then campaigning for him ahead of Arizona’s primary. Trump even invoked Arpaio’s name in his calls for tougher immigration enforcement. The 83-year-old Arpaio, who is seeking a seventh term this year, and three of his top aides “have demonstrated a persistent disregard for the orders of this court.” PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE HERMISTON HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY TEAM A&W Space Age Advanced Orthopedics Affordable Family Eyewear American Printing Banner Bank Big 5 Big River Golf Course Cell Fix City of Hermiston Columbia Bank Community Bank Columbia Court Club Cottage Flowers Desert Dental - Ryan Wieseler DMD Desert Lanes East Oregonian Eastern Oregon Physical Therapy Echo Hills Golf Course Express Employment First Community Credit Union Good Shepherd Medical Center Greg’s Sleep Center Heller & Sons, Inc. Hermiston Herald Jones, Greg DMD Kopacz Nursery Larson, Jeremy, DMD Les Schwab - Hermiston Lifeways Lucky Endz Gifts Oxford Suites - Hermiston Papa Murphy’s Pendleton Country Club Rick’s Car Wash Runner’s Soul Safeway Sanitary Disposal, Inc. Sears - Hermiston 60 Minute Photo Third Day Creations Tom Denchel Umatilla County Fair Umatilla Electric Co-op Wal-Mart - Hermiston Westwinds Nursery Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe Thank you to our technical T-Shirt sponsors: Eastern Oregon Physical Therapy and Advanced Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute. Thank you to Inflatable Fun Gym for donating a bounce house. Also, thank you to our volunteers: Stacey & Colby Lerten, Kathy Bei, Steve, Audra & Natelie Workman, Dana Tassie, Kathy Otnes, Shannon Paxton & Gary West for donating their time to make this such a great community event. The Hermiston High School Cross Country team is very grateful.
