Idaho Governor Brad Little has signed a bill, banning all transgender students from using public school bathrooms that don’t align with their biological sex.
This week, a new law was passed that bans all transgender students from using public school bathrooms and has become the latest Republican state to take a controversial move against one of America’s culture war issues.
According to Senate Bill 1100, starting July 1, 2023, all public schools across the state shall be required to provide separate facilities for male and female students which include locker rooms, showers, bathrooms, dressing areas, and overnight accommodations.
“Every person has a natural right to privacy and safety in restrooms and changing facilities where such a person might be in a partial or full state of undress in the presence of others. This natural right especially applies to students using public school restrooms and changing facilities where student privacy and safety is essential to providing a safe learning environment for all students,” the Bill states.
“Requiring students to share restrooms and changing facilities with members of the opposite biological sex generates potential embarrassment, shame, and psychological injury to students, as well as increasing the likelihood of sexual assault, molestation, rape, voyeurism, and exhibitionism,” it added.
“Providing separate public school restrooms and changing facilities for the different biological sexes is a long-standing and widespread practice protected by federal law, state law, and case law,” the law continued.
According to Republican state Rep. Ted Hill, who sponsored the bill, the legislation would “bring peace” in the school system, allowing students to focus on their education instead.
“The most important part of this legislation was to recognize the rights of everyone. Recognized the rights for young girls to be safe and secure in a place where they are most vulnerable, same for the boys to be safe and secure where they are most vulnerable, and the rights for everyone else to be safe, secure and comfortable in a place where they are most vulnerable.” Hill said in the statement.
However, the Human Rights Campaign blasted the legislation, arguing that the bill would deprive LGBT people of “dignity and respect.”
In a statement, the group’s state legislative director and senior counsel, Cathryn Oakley argued that “Unfortunately, the bills that Gov. Little is signing into law will make life harder on LGBTQ+ folks across the state. These bills will not accomplish anything other than to further alienate and stigmatize those already on the margins of life in this state.”
