laws. They called it a way to fight back against policies like North Carolina’s law preventing transgender people from using bathrooms that aligned with their gender identity.
Atkins was among those who voted for the ban. Now, she wants it repealed and replaced with a new program. Atkins points to consequences of the law like preventing state employees from traveling to these 23 states to conduct research and business. It also forced sports teams from public universities to find other ways to pay for certain travel. The driving factor for Atkins to introduce SB447—promoting inclusion at a time when the ACLU says nearly 500 anti-"The way to change hearts and minds is to be present," said Atkins.
"It’s time to take a new direction," said Jorge Reyes Salinas, spokesperson with Equality California. "It’s time to change the narrative and get to changing hearts and minds and how California’s values have the people’s best interests." "It wasn’t their worldview or experience, but they loved their daughter," explained Atkins. "We were fortunate they loved me and supported me and accepted me.