Sen. Ted Cruz says parents and schools should not pay attention to President Barack Obama's edict that transgender students be able to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their preferred sex.
"America has woken up to yet another example of President Barack Obama doing through executive fiat what he cannot get done through our democratic process. Today, he decreed that schools across the country must allow men and boys to use the restrooms, locker rooms, and shower facilities previously reserved for girls," Cruz said in a Friday statement
posted on his website.
"Not only is this decree contrary to law, but it makes no sense. There is a reason that we give girls access to their own changing rooms: It is for their privacy, safety, and security.
The administration's dangerous departure from that common-sense norm must not stand."
On Friday, the Obama administration ordered every public school district in the United States to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match the gender identity they have chosen.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch, added in a statement: "There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex."
But Cruz said his experience in government tells another story.
"Having spent many years in law enforcement, I've handled far too many cases of child molesters, of pedophiles, of people who abused little kids," the Texas Republican said.
"The threats of predators are serious, and we should not facilitate allowing grown men or boys to be in bathrooms with little girls."