A bill banning transgender people from using sex-segregated bathrooms and sleeping areas across many facilities in Idaho is close to becoming law.
State senators passed House Bill 264 along party lines Wednesday, which specifically applies to county jails, state prisons, domestic violence shelters and college campuses.
It would also ban anyone from entering a dorm room dedicated to the opposite sex.
Sen. Tammy Nichols (R-Middleton) said she feels transgender women are forcing society to accept and accommodate them.
“If women were not getting pushed against from biological men trying to invade our spaces then we wouldn’t have to be having these discussions,” Nichols said.
She said these private areas aren’t safe to share with transgender women.
Sen. Brandon Shippy (R-New Plymouth) agreed, saying the move will make women safer.
“I have sisters, I have a mother, I have daughters, I hope to have granddaughters someday and they need to be protected,” Shippy said.
Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) said that’s not true.
“We’re making it an issue. There’s no problem,” said Wintrow. “We are the ones that are overreacting and making an issue.”
Trans women who testified against the bill in committee hearings this year said they’re the ones facing threats for using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
House lawmakers need to agree to technical amendments before it could reach the governor’s desk.
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