Ohio Governor Signs Trans Bathroom Ban into Law
Mike DeWine signed a bill into law that will restrict transgender students from using facilities that match their gender identity.
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law that restricts all transgender students in public schools and universities from facilities that do not match their assigned sex at birth.
Under the law, which DeWine signed last week, all students, starting in kindergarten and continuing through college, are forbidden from using multi-user bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
The law also bans students in grades K-12 from sharing overnight accommodations with people of the opposite sex.
Schools and universities may still opt to construct or designate single-occupancy facilities for use by all people, regardless of gender. The law also provides exceptions for people entering facilities designated for the opposite sex, such as a parent assisting a minor child or a guardian assisting a person with a disability.
The new law takes effect in 90 days.
The bathroom restriction was added in June to a bill revising a program that helps students simultaneously earn college and high school credits by taking college courses at local universities. The House passed the measure in June, and the Senate approved the restrictions last month.
DeWine’s decision to sign the bill into law comes 11 months after he vetoed a bill banning transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming treatments for gender dysphoria. That veto was ultimately overturned by Republican lawmakers and became law a month later.
Ohio joins the ranks of other states that forbid transgender students from using bathrooms in public buildings that match their gender identity, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah.
Florida, Oklahoma, Idaho and Tennessee’s laws have all been challenged in court, but only Idaho’s has been blocked by a federal appeals court.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 3% of high school students identify as transgender.
According to a 2021 state snapshot by GLSEN, 1 in 3 LGBTQ students were prevented from using bathrooms aligning with their gender, and more than 1 in 4 were prevented from using locker rooms aligning with their gender identity — meaning such restrictions were already largely being enforced. For trans youth specifically, those numbers rose to 42% and 36%, respectively.
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