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OAN Staff James Meyers
11:30 AM – Thursday, November 14, 2024
The Ohio Senate on Wednesday approved a ban on transgender students using opposite-sex restrooms that “fit their gender identities,” sending the measure to Republican Governor Mike DeWine.
Senate Bill 104 applies to public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.
It requires schools to designate separate bathrooms, locker rooms, and overnight accommodations for both males and females who were assigned that specific gender at birth, in both school buildings and facilities utilized for any school-sponsored event.
The bill passed 24-7 on a party-line vote.
However, the new law would not apply to school employees, in emergency situations, or for people helping young children or those with disabilities, and schools would still provide single-use and family bathroom facilities.
The bill, titled the “Protect All Students Act,” would amend Ohio’s existing college credit program for high school students. It is now awaiting approval from DeWine.
DeWine is inclined to sign it but will conduct a legal review first, the Associated Press reported. “We have no new comment,” DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney told CNN on Thursday. “While the bill has passed, it has not been delivered to our office yet for signature.”
In 2023, DeWine vetoed a bill to ban sex change surgeries for minors, but the veto was overridden by the legislature.
The ACLU of Ohio urged the governor not to sign the measure, which it condemned as a violation of the right of privacy of LGBTQ+ Ohioans, making them “less safe,” they argued.
“If allowed to go into effect, SB 104 will create unsafe environments for trans and gender non-conforming individuals of all ages,” Jocelyn Rosnick, the group’s policy director, said in a statement. “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.”
Meanwhile, the Center for Christian Virtue commended the legislators for passing the bill and they called on DeWine to sign it.
“Today is a huge victory for children and families in Ohio,” CCV Policy Director David Mahan said in a statement. “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.”
11 states have passed laws so far that prohibit transgender-identifying children from using public school bathrooms corresponding to their “preferred gender identity,” with some extending these restrictions to government facilities as well
The laws are in effect in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah. However, a judge’s order putting enforcement on hold is in place in Idaho.
Ohio Senate Democrat Leader Nickie Antonio asserted that she couldn’t believe Republican leaders voted on the bill on their first day back following the November election.
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