Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Thursday that he supports North Carolina lawmakers’ push to keep transgender people from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.
Cruz said laws requiring people to use the restroom that corresponds to the sex on their birth certificate makes sense because “men should not be going to the bathroom with little girls,” according to the Associated Press.
“That is a perfectly reasonable determination for the people to make,” Cruz said during a pre-taped town hall with MSNBC on Thursday, according to the AP.
Cruz’s comment echoes the reasoning North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) has used while scrambling to defend the sweeping anti-LGBT law he signed into law last month. State lawmakers passed the legislation in response to a Charlotte ordinance that expanded anti-discrimination protections to gay and transgender people and allowed people to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.
The law McCrory signed bans any local government from enacting anti-discrimination measures to protect LGBT individuals. It also removes the ability for private sector employees to sue their employers in state court over discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex or handicap.
