Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill Wednesday banning transgender students
from using school restrooms that align with their gender identities. The
Republican-majority state Senate pushed forward SB 104, also known as the
�Protect All Students Act,� in a 24-7 party-line vote.

�No school shall permit a member of the female biological sex to use a
student restroom, locker room, changing room, or shower room that has been
designated by the school for the exclusive use of the male biological
sex,� and vice versa, the bill reads.

The bill defines �biological sex� as the �biological indication of male
and female, including sex chromosomes, naturally occurring sex hormones,
gonads, and nonambiguous internal and external genitalia present at birth,
without regard to an individual�s psychological, chosen, or subjective
experience of gender.� The bill adds that a birth certificate may be used
as proof of biological sex if it was �issued at or near the time of the
individual�s birth.�

SB 104 applies to Ohio�s public K-12 schools, as well as colleges and
universities. Other states have passed laws that seek to regulate which
restrooms trans people can use, as well, including Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee
and Utah.

The bill also mandates that Ohio schools cannot have restrooms or locker
rooms that are open to all genders, excluding family facilities or single-
occupancy facilities. Exceptions to the bill include children under 10 who
are being assisted by family members, school employees whose job duties
require them to enter all restrooms or people with disabilities who are
being assisted.

DeWine, a Republican, conducted a legal review before he signed the bill,
according to The Associated Press.

The American Civil Liberties Union condemned SB 104 in a statement after
it passed in the state Senate, deeming it �anti-trans� and urging DeWine
not to sign it.

�If allowed to go into effect, SB 104 will create unsafe environments for
trans and gender non-confirming individuals of all ages. This bill ignores
the material reality that transgender people endure higher rates of sexual
violence and assaults, particularly while using public restrooms, than
people who are not transgender,� Jocelyn Rosnick, policy director for the
ACLU of Ohio, said in a statement.

Senate Democratic leader Nickie J. Antonio urged DeWine to veto the bill
in a letter published Nov. 15.

�Sponsors of the legislation declare that the bill is about safety.
However, this bill does nothing to make anyone safer. Instead, it will
make trans people less safe and fail to increase the safety of all
students,� Antonio wrote. �There�s a line between being passionate and
understanding and being concerned about safety. Given that trans kids
already face discrimination and bullying in schools, this bill could
exacerbate the issue.�

The Center for Christian Virtue, which describes itself as Ohio�s largest
Christian public policy organization, had called on DeWine to sign the
bill, hailing it as preserving privacy.

�Today is a huge victory for children and families in Ohio. Amended SB104
is common-sense legislation that will guarantee the only people entering
young ladies� private spaces are female, not men claiming to be female,�
the organization�s policy director, David Mahan, said in a statement after
the Senate passed the bill.

Mahan did not specify whether a man claiming to be female has ever entered
a women's restroom in Ohio, and he did not respond to requests for
comment.

There is no evidence that letting transgender people use public
facilities, like restrooms, that align with their gender identities
increases assaults or privacy violations, according to a 2018 study
published in the journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy. Another
study, published in the journal Pediatrics in 2019, found that transgender
youths are at higher risk of sexual assault when they are not allowed to
use restrooms that fit their gender identities.

Ohio House Republicans attached the legislation about restrooms to
proposals regarding report card data for Ohio�s college credit program for
high school students.

Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, the executive director of GLSEN, which
advocates for LGBTQ students, condemned the law in a statement following
DeWine's signature.

�Extremist politicians are panicking because transgender students exist,"
Willingham-Jaggers said. "Bathroom bans do not work: they isolate
transgender youth, exacerbate harassment and unsafe conditions, and
encourage schools to engage in harmful and stigmatizing gender-policing at
the bathroom door."

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/ohio-governor-signs-bill-
restricting-trans-students-school-bathroom-rcna180410