Ohio’s ‘Protect All Students Act’ Dubbed ‘Bathroom Ban Bill’ by Critics

The Ohio State Senate has passed a bill that would prevent schools from allowing students of the opposite sex access to restrooms and locker rooms.

The legislation, which requires Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to sign it into law, aims to prevent transgender students from using facilities associated with their gender identity.

Senate Bill 104, the Protecting All Students Act, passed the 24/7 vote Wednesday, along party lines. The House version of the bill was passed before the House’s summer recess in June.

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DeWine has 10 days to sign or veto the bill. The governor said he was inclined to sign the bill, but would first conduct a legal review, the Associated Press reports.

The bill applies to public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education. It requires schools to designate separate bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight accommodations “for the exclusive use” of men and women, based on sex assigned at or near birth, in school buildings and in facilities used for a school-sponsored event.

The bill’s passage was praised by Republicans, including Sen. Jerry Cirino, who said the bill “is about safety and security,” while the ACLU of Ohio condemned it as a violation of the privacy rights of LGBTQ+ Ohioans. they are less safe.

“We are incredibly disheartened by the Ohio General Assembly’s continued attacks on transgender and gender non-conforming people across Ohio,” said Jocelyn Rosnick, political director of the American Civil Liberties Union. Ohio, in a press release.

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“Senate Bill 104 constitutes a cruel invasion of students’ rights to privacy, which could result in the government’s unwarranted disclosure of private and personal information.”

The group called on DeWine to veto the bill and said it was “carefully considering next steps.”

The Center for Christian Virtue, a lobbying organization focused on implementing conservative Christian sexual morality, praised lawmakers for passing the bill and called on DeWine to sign it.

“Today is a huge victory for Ohio’s children and families,” David Mahan, CCV policy director, said in a statement, adding that it would ensure that only people entering private spaces young women to be women, “and not men pretending to be women”.

Cirino, who introduced SB 104, which overhauls the state’s college credit program, says the legislation was a matter of common sense.

“This protects our children and grandchildren in private spaces where they are most vulnerable,” Cirino said, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. “We are the ones using our legislative authority to ensure that schools are indeed safe environments. After all, bathrooms, showers and locker rooms should all be safe places for our students.”

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Various battles over the issue of transgender people using gender-appropriate restrooms and participating in women’s sports are taking place across the country. President-elect Trump has repeatedly pledged to exclude men from women’s sports.

At least 11 states have passed laws banning transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s restrooms in public schools and, in some cases, other public facilities.

The laws are in effect in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah. A judge’s order staying the execution is in effect in Idaho.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.