Measure To Overturn California Transgender Students' Rights Won't Be On Ballot

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)— A referendum to overturn a California law that gives transgender students the right to use the public school restrooms and locker rooms of their choice will not appear on 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.

The law that was the subject of the referendum attempt took effect Jan. 1. It guarantees students in grades K-12 the right to use the school facilities and to participate in the sex-segregated activities that correspond with their expressed genders.

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