Republican says California's transgender rights law only provides 'the right to be ogled'

A Republican state lawmaker in California says a new law for transgender students will resulted in the "humiliation" of 98 percent of students.

The law requires that a student be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and facilities consistent with his or her gender identity. A transgender girl would be allowed to join female sports teams and use female restrooms under the law.

"This will take the normal hormonal battles raging inside every teenager and pour gasoline onto those simmering coals. The right to privacy enjoyed by every student will be replaced by the right to be ogled," Assemblyman Tim Donnelly wrote in a column at World Net Daily.

Donnelly said his two sons were "horrified" to learn they might have to share a restroom with a person who identified as male but had female genitalia. He wrote that his sons will not be returning to public schools because of the new law.

Donnelly complained that the law only addressed the concerns of 2 percent of the population. He claimed the other 98 percent of students would be forced to endure humiliation.

Opponents of the new law have said that transgender individuals are simply confused and need counseling. The Pacific Justice Institute has described the law as "gender insanity."

The medical community, however, recognizes that gender identity disorder -- previously called "transsexualism" -- is a real condition. The most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders updated its definition of gender identity disorder to emphasize that counselors should seek to treat distress associated with the condition, not treat the condition itself.

"It is important to note that gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder," the American Psychiatric Association said.