Ala. city targets Target with transgender bathroom law

A small Alabama city has passed an ordinance making it illegal for transgender people to use public restrooms that don’t correspond to the biological sex listed on their birth certificate.

{mosads}Oxford Council President Steven Waits said the ordinance, passed Tuesday, is in response to Target’s new restroom policy, according to The Associated Press.

The retail giant announced last week that it will allow transgender people to use its restrooms corresponding to the gender with which they identify. Target has one store in Oxford.

Violations would be considered as a misdemeanor in Oxford, according to reports, with penalties ranging from a $500 fine to six months in jail.

The Oxford law follows weeks of controversy over a law in North Carolina mandating that transgender people use public restrooms that correspond with their biological sex at birth.