COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) 鈥� Transgender students from kindergarten through college at Ohio public and private schools will be banned from using multiperson bathrooms that fit their gender identities under a measure that Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday that he has signed.
DeWine signed the law out of public view Tuesday over the objections of Democrats, teachers' unions and civil rights groups, which had hoped that last year would carry through and prompt another veto. It takes effect in 90 days.
The governor issued no statement regarding the signing.
The Republican-backed measure 鈥� labeled the "Protect All Students Act鈥� 鈥� requires public and private schools, colleges and universities to designate separate bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight accommodations 鈥渇or the exclusive use鈥� of either males and females, based on one鈥檚 gender assigned at or near birth, in school buildings and other facilities used for school-sponsored events. It contains no enforcement mechanism.
鈥淚t revolves around safety, security, and, I think, common sense. It protects our children and grandchildren in private spaces where they are most vulnerable,鈥� said Republican Ohio state Sen. Jerry Cirino, the bill鈥檚 sponsor.
School employees, emergency situations and people assisting young children or someone with a disability are exempted from the restrictions and schools can still offer single-use or family bathrooms.
Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, which backed the bill, said in a statement, 鈥淐ommon sense is on a winning streak in America today. No student should be forced to go into the bathroom or locker room with a student of the opposite sex, and Ohio鈥檚 kids are better protected now because of Governor DeWine鈥檚 decision to sign this bill."
The ACLU of Ohio was among the groups that had lobbied for a veto, condemning the measure as a violation of the right of privacy of LGBTQ+ Ohioans that will make them less safe.
Equality Ohio, the state's LGBTQ+ advocacy and legal aid organization, said the law poses risks to transgender youth 鈥渙r anyone perceived as transgender by authorities.鈥�
鈥淲e are deeply disappointed that Governor DeWine has allowed this dangerous bill to become law that puts vulnerable trans youth at risk for abuse and harassment," Executive Director Dwayne Steward said in a statement. The group said it will continue to fight 鈥渇or a state that embraces and respects all its residents.鈥�
With DeWine's signature, Ohio adds to the pushback that's cropped up nationally among many Republican politicians, including President-elect Donald Trump, as transgender people have gained more visibility and acceptance on some fronts in recent years.
Twenty-six states have now adopted laws restarting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The U.S. is scheduled to hear arguments Dec. 4 on whether Tennessee鈥檚 ban on such treatments can continue to be enforced; any ruling is likely to impact policies in other states, too.
At least 11 states have adopted laws, like Ohio鈥檚, barring transgender girls and women from girls and women鈥檚 bathrooms at public schools 鈥� and in some cases, in other government facilities.
And at least 24 states have laws dictating which sports competitions transgender girls and women can join.
Ohio's bathroom bill was debated for 19 months before finally clearing the GOP-led Legislature on Nov. 13, during Transgender Awareness Week. It was tacked onto a separate piece of legislation by the Ohio House that related to the state's College Credit Plus program, which allows high-schoolers to earn college credit.
leaned heavily into opposing transgender rights in the last weeks of his race against Vice President Kamala Harris, including Trump's vow at a Madison Square Garden rally that 鈥渨e will keep men out of women鈥檚 sports鈥� and campaign ads saying, 鈥淜amala's for they/them. President Trump is for you.鈥�
It鈥檚 not clear what policies Trump might adopt once he takes office in January. But bills relating to gender issues are already being queued up in state legislatures that come into session early in 2025.
In Texas, for instance, there are proposed measures to bar using state money to pay for "gender reassignment,鈥� to use state money to pay to reverse gender transitions, and to give people who receive gender-affirming care before they turn 15 until they turn 25 to sue their doctors for malpractice, among others. Democrats in the Republican-dominated legislature there have also introduced some bills intended to protect people from discrimination on the basis of 鈥済ender identity or expression.鈥�
In Ohio, a law that both bars gender-affirming care for minors and blocks transgender girls and women from participating in girls and women鈥檚 sports competitions took effect in August. It took a rocky path, though. The measure became law only after the legislature . And after that, a judge put enforcement on hold for about four months before allowing it.
Julie Carr Smyth And Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press
