Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs transgender bathroom ban in public schools

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed a bill Monday that bans transgender people from using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity in the state’s schools.

invoiceThe law, entitled the “Securing Areas for Effective and Responsible Women Act” (“SAFER”), requires all public educational institutions to have separate toilets, locker rooms, and dormitories for men and women.

The law defines a person’s gender as “determined solely by birth,” regardless of the fluidity of the person’s behavior or emotions.”

This means that individuals are only allowed to enter spaces consistent with the gender assigned at birth, regardless of their physical appearance or gender-affirming procedures. Those who don’t follow the rules could face lawsuits, but schools and universities are not responsible, the Associated Press reported.

in Statement to X, Reeves said the bill aims to “protect women’s space.”

“It’s amazing that Joe Biden’s America has become this way. It was unimaginable just a few years ago that we would have to pass common-sense policies that protect women’s spaces. “But here we must pass laws that protect women in bathrooms, sorority rooms, locker rooms, locker rooms, shower rooms, etc.,” he wrote.

“There is no question that the left will continue to come up with outlandish ideas that harm biological women. And there is no doubt that the state of Mississippi will continue to push back against them,” Reeves said. he added.

The bill was introduced earlier this month as part of a last-ditch effort by Mississippi Republicans, who tried to pass the bill in the House and Senate on the last day of the session after negotiations prevented an earlier proposal from moving forward, according to The Associated Press reported. The state Republican Party said it has received a series of messages asking for the bill to be reinstated.

“For many voters and many people in this chamber, this is probably the most important bill we have introduced,” Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby said earlier this month, according to the Telegraph.

Last year, Reeves signed a bill banning medical professionals from providing gender-affirming care to transgender minors. At the signing ceremony in February, Reeves said there was a “dangerous movement spreading across America.”

It is proceeding under the guise of false ideology, and pseudoscience is being forced onto our children through radical activists, social media, and online influencers,” he continued, adding, “Rapidly developing gender identity referred to “sexual disorders”. Theory debunked The paper argues that young people identify as transgender due to “social contagion.”

The SAFER Act is the latest in a series of bills introduced by conservative lawmakers targeting LGBTQ policies. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) estimates that 515 bills have been introduced across the United States this year.

Mississippi is one of 15 Republican-led states to have sued the Biden administration over new Title IV regulations that add protections for transgender students.

Last month, after more than a year of delays, the Department of Education announced sweeping changes to Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in schools and education programs receiving federal funding. The new regulations are scheduled to come into effect on August 1 and will also apply to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.