Texas has officially become the latest state to prohibit trans-identified men from accessing women’s spaces, citing concerns over safety and privacy for women and girls.
On Monday, Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 8 into law. The legislation, which was approved by the Republican-controlled Texas Senate with a 19-11 vote last month and by the Texas House of Representatives with an 86-45 vote, is also known as the Texas Women’s Privacy Act.
The votes in both chambers largely followed party lines, with almost all support coming from Republicans and all opposition from Democrats. Notably, two House Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the bill.
Scheduled to take effect on December 4, SB 8 mandates that “each multiple-occupancy private space in a building” be designated for use by only one sex. It also directs the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to “ensure inmates are housed in a correctional facility, including a dormitory or cellblock of a correctional facility, according to the inmate’s sex.”
The bill explicitly defines “sex” as “an individual’s biological sex, either male or female.” Additionally, it prohibits family violence shelters “designed specifically to provide services to female victims of family violence” from admitting men, unless the male is 17 years old or younger and is the child of a female victim.
Violators of the law face fines of $25,000 for the first offense and $125,000 for each subsequent violation.
Since its enactment, Texas has become the seventh state to ban trans-identified people from using sex-segregated spaces based on their self-declared gender identity in all government-owned buildings. The other six states are Arkansas, Florida, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
In addition, eight states—Alabama, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wyoming—restrict trans-identified individuals from using sex-segregated spaces at K-12 schools and some government buildings.
Moreover, five states—Iowa, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia—have bans that only apply to K-12 schools.
