It is now illegal for transgender students in Idaho to use a public school bathroom that does not match their birth gender. This new law was enacted when Gov. Brad Little signed it into effect this week.
The bill, which stated “there are real and inherent physical differences between men and women,” laid out requirements for public schools. They now must provide separate facilities for male and female students, which includes bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and dressing areas.
Even overnight accommodations had to be addressed. It is still startling that these basics must be spelled out in 2023.
The bill said that every person has a “right to privacy and safety in restrooms and changing areas.” It asserted this natural right applies to Idaho students who use restrooms and changing facilities.
Part of the function of the public school system is to provide a safe environment for all students. The new law asserted that common restrooms and changing facilities may result in “embarrassment, shame, and psychological injury.”
Idaho is the 3rd state to sign a bill barring transgender students from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity & bringing sanity back to our society: "There are real and inherent physical differences between men & women." https://t.co/Bv1w48teRU
— Catt (@CattHarmony) March 26, 2023
Further, it listed a number of crimes and violent situations that may result from shared areas.
The measure went further when it declared that any federal legislative action, federal executive action, or federal court judgments that prevent Idaho from enforcing separate restrooms and changing facilities are in error.
Specifically, it stated that these interferences are “inconsistent with the United States Constitution and violate the privacy and safety rights of students.”
Students under the new law have the right to seek financial compensation if their public school violates this statute. If an institution allows a person to use the facilities of the opposite gender, the suing students may receive $5,000 for each instance.
The rule does not include single-occupancy facilities.
State Rep. Ted Hill sponsored the bill. He told CNN that the measure would “bring peace” to schools, administrations, and parents. He said that the legislation supports “the rights of everyone.” Girls and boys may be safe, he said “where they are the most vulnerable.”
This is the definition of common sense law. While it is remarkable that this bill had to even be considered, this is the state of the country. Attacks on normalcy and decency by the radical left mean that laws must be passed to codify what was once unquestioned.
