Day 7 of Doug’s Got to Go has arrived and we shall celebrate it with being thankful that Republican Senator Doug Ericksen and the two other current 42nd LD representatives were unsuccessful in 2016 in overturning the enforcement by the Washington State Human Rights Commission of the Washington Law Against Discrimination making sure transgender people are protected in using the bathroom that fits their sexual identity. 

Here’s the report The Bellingham Herald gave in January of 2016 regarding Senator Ericksen’s discriminatory stance:

“Another Republican lawmaker, state Sen. Doug Ericksen, said he would support repealing the rule entirely. He said the rules violate people’s expectation that they will be undressing in locker rooms with only members of the same sex, while creating a ‘huge burden’ on businesses.

“’The state should not be requiring private businesses and local school districts to allow men in the women’s bathrooms,’ said Ericksen, R-Ferndale. ‘If you own a gym, it should not be your duty to determine who qualifies to go into which locker room.’

“But advocates for transgender individuals say that requiring them to use restrooms inconsistent with their gender identity can open them up to violence and harassment.”

The article goes on regarding Ericksen’s position:

“Both [State Rep. Graham] Hunt and Ericksen said they think the recent rule change took lawmakers and many members of the public by surprise. This week, some people planned to protest the new policy at the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties by picketing outside several YMCA locations.

“Ericksen said he thinks the policy change should have been approved by the Legislature, rather by a rule-making agency such as the Human Rights Commission.

“However, the Human Rights Commission’s executive director said the commission was just implementing anti-discrimination policies that the Legislature approved in 2006.”