Trans bathroom bill with jail penalties passes Idaho Legislature
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Idaho lawmakers approved a bill making it a crime for transgender individuals to use bathrooms matching their gender identity, including in private businesses, with penalties up to five years in prison for repeat offenses.
- The legislation, if signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little, would be the strictest bathroom ban in the U.S., covering any "place of public accommodation" and including limited exceptions.
- Supporters argue the bill protects women and children from sexual predators, while opponents, including law enforcement groups and Democrats, warn it criminalizes transgender people and imposes difficult enforcement burdens.
- The bill passed with strong Republican support and could override a gubernatorial veto, prompting condemnation from the ACLU of Idaho as discriminatory and an extreme misuse of the criminal justice system.
- Though arrests under such laws are rare nationwide, advocates say these policies empower harassment and discrimination against transgender individuals based on appearance.
