Ohio governor signs ‘bathroom bill’ into law, restricting students from using opposite-sex restrooms

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill banning schools from allowing students of the opposite sex into bathrooms and locker rooms.

The bill, known as the “bathroom bill,” was sent to DeWine's desk earlier this month after the state Senate passed it on a 24-7 party-line vote. The House version of the bill was passed in June before the House went on summer recess.

The law would go into effect within 90 days and would restrict transgender students' access to facilities related to their gender identity.

SJSU Transgender Volleyball Scandal: Alleged Timeline, Political Implications, and Intensifying Cultural Movement

This applies to K-12 public schools and higher education institutions. The bill would require schools to provide “dedicated” restrooms, locker rooms, and accommodations for men and women based on their assigned sex at or near birth, both in school buildings and in facilities used for school-sponsored events. is required to be specified.

Mr. DeWine's signature is not guaranteed, and Democrats, teachers unions and civil rights groups said his veto earlier this year of a ban on gender reassignment for minors and hormone therapy for transgender people under 18 was similar. I expected him to take action. Ultimately, the state's Republican-controlled Senate voted to override the veto, and the ban went into effect.

DeWine did not issue a statement Wednesday announcing he signed the bathroom bill.

“Common sense is triumphing in America today,” Aaron Baer, ​​president of the Center for Christian Virtue, which supported the bill, said in a statement.

“No student should be forced to enter a restroom or locker room with a student of the opposite sex. Thanks to Governor DeWine's decision to sign this bill, Ohio's children will be better protected. It became.”

Riley Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky who advocated for keeping biological males out of women's sports, agreed.

Transgender activist's public support plummets after Trump's victory, urges supporters not to 'smear' critics: Report

The bathroom bill would go into effect within 90 days and would restrict transgender students from accessing facilities related to their gender identity. (iStock/Gelemme)

“Common sense is returning across the country,” Gaines wrote in X.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost thanked Mr. DeWine for “defending biology, history, safety and common sense.”

The ACLU of Ohio was among the groups pushing for the veto, calling the measure a violation of the privacy rights of transgender Ohioans and jeopardizing their safety.

“We always have the support of the trans community,” the organization wrote to X. “All Ohioans deserve the freedom to be loved, safe, trusted in health care decisions, and have access to gender-appropriate facilities.” We will not leave trans Ohioans behind. ”

School staff, emergencies, and those supporting young children and people with disabilities are exempt from the restrictions, and schools can continue to provide single-occupancy or family-use toilets.

Click to get the FOX News app

The ACLU of Ohio was among the groups pushing for the veto, calling the measure a violation of the privacy rights of transgender Ohioans and jeopardizing their safety. (Alison Diener/AFP via Getty Images)

Various fights are being waged across the country over transgender people's access to gender-appropriate restrooms and women's participation in sports. President-elect Trump has repeatedly promised to keep men away from women's sports.

At least 11 states have adopted laws banning transgender girls and women from girls' and girls' restrooms in public schools and, in some cases, other government facilities.

This law is in effect in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah. In Idaho, a judge has issued a stay of execution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.