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Petition Drive Underway To Overturn Law Giving New Access To Transgender Students

SACRAMENTO (KCBS)— A petition drive is underway to overturn legislation signed into law by the Governor Jerry Brown that would make accommodations for transgendered students in California's public schools.

AB 1266 is scheduled to take effect in January and requires schools to allow transgendered students to play on sports teams and use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identification.

But a coalition of conservative groups is in the midst of a petition drive to block the law from taking effect and to let voters decide the issue.

"Our polling shows that, overwhelmingly, the voters of California do not support this open-ended violation of privacy of the majority of students in order to accommodate a few," said Karen England the co-chair of Privacy for All Students.

San Francisco Assembly member Tom Ammiano authored the legislation.

Petition Drive Underway To Overturn Gov. Brown's Law Protecting Transgendered Students

"What makes me sad is, whether this is intentional or not, it still encourages violence against those who are different. It also vindicates the necessity for this bill because obviously people will look through this to a length of bigotry and prejudice," Ammiano said.

505,000 signatures are needed by November 12th to stop the law from taking effect in January.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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