SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Transgender activists have flooded a Utah tip line created to alert state officials to possible violations of a new bathroom law with thousands of hoax reports in an effort to shield trans residents and their allies from any legitimate complaints that could lead to an investigation.
The onslaught has led the state official tasked by the law with managing the tip line, Utah Auditor John Dougall, to bemoan getting stuck with the cumbersome task of filtering through fake complaints while also facing backlash for enforcing a law he had no role in passing.
“No auditor goes into auditing so they can be the bathroom monitors,” Dougall said Tuesday. “I think there were much better ways for the Legislature to go about addressing their concerns, rather than this ham-handed approach.”
In the week since it launched, the online tip line already has received more than 10,000 submissions, none of which seem legitimate, he said. The form asks people to report public school employees who knowingly allow someone to use a facility designated for the opposite sex.
Shenzhen overwhelms Shandong, Shanghai beats Fujian
Father of Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen charged with abusing one of his other children, lawyer says
Central African Republic FM to visit China
French media: Police summon actor Gérard Depardieu for questioning about sexual assault allegations
Rinus VeeKay overcomes early crash with final flourish to make Indianapolis 500 pole shootout
China: Political settlement only viable way out of Ukraine crisis
A kidnapped Pakistani judge has been freed in a late
Xijin ferry historical and cultural block
Xizang opens tourist destinations to public free of charge to promote tourism
Jude Bellingham is caught trying to put off England team
Israeli officials concerned about possible ICC arrest warrants as pressure mounts over war in Gaza