Ohio governor signs bill mandating students use bathrooms with biological sex

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) signed into law a bill that bans members of the opposite sex from using single-sex restrooms at schools.

The bill affirms that schools from kindergarten through college must “designate each student restroom, locker room, changing room, or shower room that is accessible by multiple students at the same time … for the exclusive use by students of the male biological sex only or by students of the female biological sex only.”

DeWine signed the bill into law without a statement, but Republican state Rep. Adam Bird, who sponsored the legislation, issued a statement celebrating it.

“We are thankful that individuals will not have to worry about members of the opposite sex coming into restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms in Ohio,” Bird said in a statement. “Thank you, Governor DeWine, for signing this important legislation and keeping students safe.”

Another cosponsor of the bill, Republican state Rep. Beth Lear also said she was “grateful” for DeWine signing the bill into law.

“We are grateful to the Governor for doing what is right and what is best for all Ohio students in kindergarten through college,” Lear said in a statement. “The Protect All Students Act will keep our children safe from exposure to the opposite sex while in private spaces.”

The legislation does not provide a way to enforce the requirements, but it does apply to both public and private education institutions in the state.

The importance of single-sex spaces and sports has been a key policy point for several Republicans in recent years, conflicting with transgender activists who seek to make the spaces on identity rather than biological sex.

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DeWine’s signature on the legislation was not a guarantee, as the Ohio governor vetoed a bill earlier this year, which banned transgender surgeries and treatments for minors, along with restricting women’s and men’s sports to biological women and men, respectively. The state legislature successfully overrode Save Adolescents from Experimentation, or SAFE Act went into effect months later.

The legislation will go into effect on Feb. 24, 2025, according to Bird and Lear.