Transgender students will no longer be able to use bathrooms or locker rooms aligned with their gender identity after a new bill went into effect Thursday.
Senate Bill 8, also known as the “Bathroom bill,” requires multi-occupancy restrooms, among other public spaces, in public buildings to be specifically designated for male or female based on the user’s reproductive parts, not their gender identity. In response, the University has required that some unisex bathrooms across campus change to either exclusively for women or men, according to a new policy that went into effect Nov. 25.
A spokesperson for the University said overall, the changes implemented will be “minimal.”
Now, a handful of unisex restrooms across campus have already been altered. An accessible restroom in the CMA has been changed into an exclusively female one, despite that it is intended to be single-use and locks from the inside.
SB 8 does not penalize individuals who violate the bill, and instead puts the responsibility on the institutions and agencies. The bill also carves out exceptions for people entering restrooms for medical emergencies, maintenance or inspection reasons or a law enforcement purpose.
