Share this @internewscast.com

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.

Supporters of the measure argued that the bill is necessary to prevent “predators seeking to harm women” from entering bathrooms and changing facilities under the guise that they are trans women.

“Let’s be clear, sexual assault knows no boundaries. Keeping men from women’s spaces is an appropriate and much needed boundary in Utah and across America,” Utah state Rep. Kera Birkeland, the bill’s lead sponsor, said on X on Thursday. “Nobody is calling out the transgender community for crimes against women.”

Conversely, critics have condemned the bill for singling out the state’s trans community.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, called the legislation an “invasion into our basic freedoms.”

“No student should be denied access to the bathroom that aligns with who they are,” she said in a statement on Friday. “No one should fear harassment in the most private of settings. Period.”

It is unclear if Republican Gov. Spencer Cox will sign the bill into law. Cox’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the governor has not commented publicly regarding the bill.

In 2022, Cox vetoed legislation that aimed to limit transgender students’ ability to compete on girls sports teams in school. (Subsequently, Utah lawmakers overrode their Republican governor’s veto and the bill became law.) But last year, Cox signed a ban on gender affirming care for minors into law within the first few weeks of the legislative session.

Equality Utah, an LGBTQ advocacy group, said in a statement on X Friday that it successfully fought to include language in the text of HB 257 that would prevent criminal action against minors who go against the law and that it would continue to advocate on behalf of trans youth.

The original bill’s text would have effectively banned transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender identity at any facility in the state that receives public funding, including hospitals and airports. But the state’s Senate amended the language to limit the scope of the prohibitions to public schools and government-owned facilities, which state House lawmakers overwhelmingly agreed to.

“It’s very clear that right now there are going to be continued and constant political attacks on transgender and nonbinary Utahns,” Aaron Welcher, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, said. “And it’s really unfortunate for all the reasons that we fight for people’s rights and civil liberties, but it is also really unfortunate because many of these people who have been affected over the last three years are youth.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Latter-day Saints hold first general conference without a president in at least a century

Historic Milestone: First LDS General Conference in Over 100 Years Without a President

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…
Israel news: IDF says it will advance preparations for 1st phase of Donald Trump's plan to end Gaza war, return Hamas hostages

Israeli Update: IDF to Begin Initial Steps in Implementing Trump’s Strategy to Resolve Gaza Conflict and Free Hostages from Hamas

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s army announced on Saturday that it would…
Video captures Charlie Kirk assassination suspect Tyler Robinson during police manhunt in Utah

Footage shows Tyler Robinson, suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination case, during police search in Utah

PROVO, Utah — Recently released surveillance footage acquired by Fox News Digital…

Tragic Shooting Near Houston Suburb Results in Death of Two Children, Two More Critically Injured

ANGLETON, Texas (AP) — In a heartbreaking incident early Saturday near Angleton,…
Blake Lively Shuts Down Taylor Swift Rift Rumors While Fans Theorize New Song “Cancelled!” Is About Her

Blake Lively Dismisses Rumors of a Feud with Taylor Swift as Fans Speculate About New Song “Cancelled!”

Blake Lively just proved her friendship with Taylor Swift is still very…
Donald Trump administration seeking to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members amid Chicago ICE raids: Gov. JB Pritzker

Governor JB Pritzker reports that the Trump administration plans to deploy 300 Illinois National Guard members to support ICE operations in Chicago.

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 Illinois National…
'Girlmore Girls' star Lauren Graham gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

‘Gilmore Girls’ Actress Lauren Graham Honored with Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Lauren Graham, renowned for her role as…
Hamas says it accepts some elements of Gaza peace plan; Trump orders Israel to stop bombing Gaza

Hamas Agrees to Parts of Gaza Peace Proposal; Trump Directs Israel to Halt Gaza Attacks

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump directed Israel to halt its bombing…
Most Americans rate the U.S. economy poorly: Poll

Poll Reveals That Many Americans Hold a Negative View of the U.S. Economy

(The Hill) — Nearly three-quarters of Americans say economic conditions are poor…
Fears of massive battery fires spark local opposition to energy storage projects

Concerns Over Battery Fire Risks Fuel Resistance to Energy Storage Projects Locally

Increasingly, extensive arrays of lithium-ion batteries are being connected to electrical grids…
Jury deliberations continue in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial

What did Diddy write in his letter to the judge?

If the judge listens to Combs’ defense team’s recommendation, he would be…
UK warns Palestinian protest group to stand down after synagogue attack: 'Respect the grief of British Jews'

UK Tells Palestinian Protest Group to Pause After Synagogue Attack: ‘Honor the Mourning of British Jews’

The United Kingdom’s government and police urged organizers of a planned anti-Israel…