Kasich: I ‘Probably’ Wouldn’t Sign Bill Keeping Men Out of Women’s Restrooms

Written by Ben Johnson

John Kasich said on Sunday that he would “probably not” sign a bill preventing biological males from using women’s restrooms, locker rooms, and showers – and those who are hung up on the issue should “take a deep breath,” “chill out,” and “get over it.”

“Face the Nation” moderator John Dickerson ended his interview with the the Ohio governor and presidential hopeful by asking if Kasich would sign a bill similar to the one enacted by North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory. The new law strikes down a Charlotte ordinance giving those who identify as transgender the right to use the public accommodation of their chosen sex.

Dickerson said the act also “banned anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation” from being imposed statewide.

“Probably not,” Gov. Kasich responded. “I wouldn’t have signed that law from everything I know,” Gov. Kasich said. “I haven’t studied it. But Nathan Deal, the governor of Georgia, vetoed another one.”

He said, “We are not having this issue in our state about this whole religious liberty.”

That echoed comments made by Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, as she said she would oppose a similar piece of legislation pending in her state. She also equated that act, which would bar biological males from using women’s accommodations, with religious liberty concerns.

However, the bill’s author said his legislation has nothing to do with conscience concerns but is instead intended as a public safety measure.

Gov. McCrory sounded a similar note after signing the bill, telling local media, “There’s absolutely no connection whatsoever” between this bill and a religious liberty bill like the one Gov. Deal vetoed. “They’re two different issues.”

Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders oppose the bill, with Sanders saying last week, “I would do everything I can to overturn these outrageous decisions.”

Gov. Kasich, whose campaign rhetoric at times takes on a libertarian streak, denounced the idea of using the government to legislate such disputes.

Becoming animated, he asked, “Why do we have to write a law every time we turn around in this country? Can’t we figure out just how to get along a little bit better and respect one another?”

“Everybody, chill out!” he said. “Get over it, if you have a disagreement with somebody.”

“Unless there’s something that pops up, I’m not inclined to sign anything,” he concluded via satellite link from Greece, New York, where he spent the day campaigning.

Recent state polls show him running in second place – far behind frontrunner Donald Trump, who hails from New York, but pulling ahead of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who once mocked “New York values.” As the primary map shifts to the Northeast, Kasich may be more competitive than the conservative, evangelical-friendly Cruz, picking up delegates en route to a convention in Cleveland this August.

This article was originally posted at LifeSiteNews.com