Ohio Republicans Pass a Monstrous Trans Bathroom Ban
Ohio Republicans have passed a bill banning transgender people from using bathrooms matching their gender identity in public buildings.
Ohio has passed a bill prohibiting schools from allowing transgender students to use bathroom facilities that match their gender identity.
The “Protect All Students Act” sailed through the Ohio State Senate on November 13 by a 24-7 party-line vote.
The bill’s House counterpart was passed by the House of Representatives in June.
The bill now heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who has 10 days to sign it into law or veto it.
DeWine has said he’s inclined to sign the monstrous bill, but wishes to conduct a legal review first to determine whether it will withstand scrutiny, according to The Associated Press.
The bill bans all students in K-12 public schools and all state colleges and universities from entering bathrooms, locker rooms, or overnight accommodations designated for use by either males or females.
Those permitted to enter such sex-segregated spaces must have been assigned the sex for which the facility is designated based on their biological anatomy, including genitalia and chromosomal makeup.
The prohibition on facility use applied to both school buildings and facilities used for school-sponsored events.
There are exceptions for school faculty, children under 10 needing familial assistance, or people with disabilities.
Republicans sought to cast the bill as protecting the “safety and security” of all students by preventing individuals of the opposite sex from entering sex-segregated spaces, according to Fox News.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio condemned the bill as violating transgender or nonbinary individuals’ rights, and urged DeWine to veto the bill, predicting that the bill would be challenged in the courts and potentially leading to financial costs for the state.
The group did not say affirmatively whether it would sue over the law, only saying that it was “considering [its] next steps.”
“We are incredibly disheartened by the Ohio General Assembly’s continuous attacks against transgender and gender non-conforming individuals across Ohio,” Jocelyn Rosnick, policy director for the ACLU of Ohio, said in a statement. “If allowed to go into effect, SB 104 will create unsafe environments for trans and gender non-confirming individuals of all ages.”
The bill’s passage comes a week after Donald Trump and many down-ticket Republicans won election by railing against transgender issues, such as participation in sports based on one’s gender identity or the availability of gender-affirming care.
At least 11 states have laws similar to Ohio’s bathroom ban. Ten of those are currently in place, with a similar Idaho law being blocked by a federal appeals court.
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