Effort To Repeal California Transgender Rights Law Fails To Make November Ballot

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) — An effort to repeal a transgender rights bill passed by the California legislature last year has  failed to make the November ballot.

The secretary of state announced Monday that backers of the proposed measure didn't gather enough voter signatures to qualify it for the upcoming election. They needed a little less than 505,000 to force a public vote on the law and submitted more than 619,000, but county election officers found that fewer than 488,000 of the signatures were valid.

If the referendum had qualified, the law would have been put on hold until after the election.

Supporters said it was needed to spell out protections that already exist under state anti-discrimination laws but are often overlooked or improperly applied by educators fielding requests from transgender students and their families.

Opponents maintain it violates the privacy of youngsters who may be uncomfortable sharing facilities with classmates of the opposite biological sex.