(The Lion) — Two state laws targeting transgenderism are being tested in Florida after separate violations – one involving bathroom use, the other regulating how teachers address students.
A transgender-identifying male college student is facing legal consequences for using a women’s bathroom at the Florida Capitol, potentially marking the first time someone has been criminally charged in the United States for violating this type of law.
“I am here to break the law,” said “Marcy” Rheintgen, before entering a women’s bathroom at the Capitol in Tallahassee.
The Illinois native reportedly washed his hands and prayed in the bathroom before being arrested.
Capitol police knew of Rheintgen’s planned stunt beforehand and warned him of the legal consequences for refusing to comply with the law.
He now faces a misdemeanor trespassing charge and up to 60 days in jail. Rheintgen will appear in court in May.
“I wanted people to see the absurdity of this law in practice,” he told the Associated Press. “If I’m a criminal, it’s going to be so hard for me to live a normal life, all because I washed my hands. Like, that’s so insane.”
The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposed the 2023 bathroom law, told the AP this is the first instance of a transgender-identifying individual facing a criminal penalty for using the wrong bathroom.
Currently, 19 states have laws barring biological males from using women’s bathrooms in some or all settings. However, Florida and Utah are the only states with laws criminalizing the offense.
Many X users find a jail sentence for Rheintgen’s crime appropriate since “he broke the law,” as one user wrote.
“Keep men out of women’s spaces👏,” said another, a sentiment other users echoed.
“Men shouldn’t be in female spaces. This is not a woman,” Andrew Austin posted.
And one woman called it, “Dull attention-seeking behavior. 🥱” adding, “He should have stayed in Illinois. 🙄”
The arrest comes as a Florida school district has opted not to renew a high school teacher’s contract after she referred to a student by a name other than the legal name without parental permission.
Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, which serves about 1,500 students, won’t renew Melissa Calhoun’s annual contract because her actions violated a parental rights law. The school is located along Florida’s Space Coast.
“At (Brevard Public Schools) our focus is on education – teachers are here to teach and support students academically,” district spokesperson Janet Murnaghan told USA Today. “Our job is to work in partnership with parents and guardians to ensure student success.”
Calhoun will finish the school year, which ends in May.
However, a student-created petition that wants the district to keep Calhoun has over 3,000 signatures, according to Florida Today.
If a student wants to go by something other than their legal name, their parents must sign a “Parental Authorization for Deviation from Student’s Legal Name,” per a law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023. The law covers nicknames and names that affirm a child’s gender identity.
It is the first reported instance of a Florida teacher losing a job because of this law, a news report said. The law doesn’t order specific consequences for teachers and staff members who refuse to comply. BPS decided to take this course of action itself.
