Gov. Asa Hutchinson stood against any movement to bring forward a bathroom bill similar to one in North Carolina in this special session.
But the first-term governor said such a debate is coming and he welcomes working with lawmakers on the issue.
“I did oppose, and I expressed myself to the legislators, I did oppose adding a last-minute, additional item to address the privacy in facilities,” Hutchinson said. “It had not been vetted out. It had not been reviewed. It had not been discussed or debated sufficiently. … This the highway session. I didn’t need that complexity in the highway session.”
Hutchinson added: “It will probably come up in the general session next year. … I would be happy to work with [lawmakers] to address any privacy concerns that need to be addressed in light of President [Barack] Obama’s directive.”
That directive— which told public schools that transgender students must be allowed to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity — was issued last week and was met by stern opposition from many Arkansas conservatives, including Hutchinson.
The Department of Justice sued North Carolina over a recently passed law that would make it illegal for transgender people to use a bathroom that does not match with the sex stated on their birth certificate.