Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) signed a law that bans the use of public bathrooms intended for the opposite sex.
Under House Bill 752, “Any person who knowingly and willfully enters a restroom or changing room in a government-owned building or a place of public accommodation, as defined in section 67-5902, Idaho Code, that is designated for use by the opposite biological sex of such person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may be imprisoned in the county jail for a period not to exceed one (1) year.”
Entry exceptions are provided for custodial teams, medical needs, law enforcement, natural disasters or other emergencies, coaching, assisting a child, or if there is a “dire need.”
“Idaho is the first state in the nation to criminalize biological males entering women’s restrooms, locker rooms, and private spaces,” said state Senator Scott Herndon. “I co-authored this with Rep. Cornel Rasor. We wrote it. We fought for it. Now it’s law. Idaho leads.”
The state now joins more than a dozen other states with laws banning individuals form using restrooms opposite of their biological sex.
Responded to a comment on the law, Herndon added, “The bill protects women and girls from biological males in their most vulnerable spaces — restrooms, locker rooms, and showers. First offense is a misdemeanor, same category as other trespassing violations.” He explained that the Constitution “doesn’t guarantee access to the restroom of your choice. Idaho is the first state to put this commonsense protection into law, and it includes 10 exceptions covering every legitimate real-world situation.”
