Utah's legislature passes transgender bathroom ban
Utah lawmakers passed a bill that would bar transgender people from using bathrooms in schools and government buildings that correspond with their gender identities.
Utah lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that would bar transgender people from using bathrooms in schools and government buildings that correspond with their gender identities.
House Bill 257, which is titled “Sex-based Designations for Privacy, Anti-bullying and Women’s Opportunities,” also specifies the state’s legal definition of “male” and “female” is based on a person’s genitalia rather than their gender identity. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for enactment.
This is the third year in a row that lawmakers in Utah have passed legislation that limits the rights of the state’s trans community.
The bill’s passage also comes less than seven years after the enactment of a similar piece of legislation in North Carolina, HB 2, caused national outrage. While HB 2 triggered a boycott of the state by global corporations, big-name performers and college sports leagues, there has been little fanfare over the Utah bill other than from advocates and LGBTQ people living in the state.
If the bill is enacted, it will be the 13th law in the country to limit trans people’s ability to use public facilities in some capacity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ research group that has been tracking the bills.
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