Bill restricting school bathroom use by transgender students passes Ohio Senate, awaits governor’s signature

The Ohio Senate on Wednesday greenlit a bill that would ban transgender students from using locker rooms and bathrooms associated with their gender identities.

The Ohio Senate on Wednesday greenlit a measure that would ban transgender students from using locker rooms and bathrooms associated with their gender identities. Senate Bill 104, passed 24-7 on a party-line vote. If signed into law by the state’s GOP governor, the Republican-backed legislation would require primary and secondary schools, as well as institutions of higher education, to designate separate bathrooms and changing areas for males or females based on gender assigned at or near birth. Multi-gendered facilities would be prohibited. The ban would not apply to school employees, people with disabilities and children under 10 who need assistance from a family member or guardian, according to the legislation. Family restrooms and single-occupancy facilities are also permitted. 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 Republican Gov. Mike 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.”