Trans Tide Is Turning: Idaho Criminalizes Trans Use of Incorrect Bathrooms in Private Businesses
Idaho legislators on Friday gave final legislative approval to a bill that makes it a crime for a man to use bathrooms, locker rooms, or other such facilities set aside for women, even in private businesses.
The Idaho Senate approved the bill 28-7. The state House passed it last week, and Republican Gov. Brad Little is expected to sign the bill, according to The New York Times.
The legislation says it will be a crime for an individual of one “biological sex” to “knowingly and willfully” enter facilities “designated for the opposite” sex.
The law covers government buildings and any space defined as “public accommodations,” which would include private businesses.
”This bill protects Idaho’s cultural decency,” Republican state Sen. Josh Kohl said. “We don’t want to become like California or New York.”
The first offense is a misdemeanor with a one-year maximum sentence. A second offense within five years is a felony that would carry a maximum of five years in prison.
Republican state Rep. Cornel Rasor said he proposed the bill in the state House because constituents said they feared “discomfort and voyeurism escalation and assaults.”
Idaho lawmakers remove loophole that lets predatory men invade the women’s bathroom. #FIFY
Single sex spaces were not created for gender identities. See how the media inverts the nature of things and sides with the perversion. https://t.co/8OgcN6vRDG— Admiral Invalidator (@Artofhunger75) March 26, 2026
“It’s consistent with Idaho values. It’s consistent with the direction we’ve been going,” Rasor said.
An October 2025 incident triggered the legislation. Staff at a YMCA in Sandpoint, Idaho, were told there was nothing police could do when they called 911 after a lifeguard saw a self-described transgender woman in the women’s bathroom.
State Sen. Ben Toews said the bill was common sense, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.
“The Legislature has a fundamental duty to protect the bodily privacy and safety of Idaho citizens,” the Republican said.
“House Bill 752 provides a clear, proactive tool to secure sex-separated private spaces in our state, while accommodating common-sense realities,” he added.
“Trans women aren’t women,” Kohl remarked. “They’re men. And they need to be treated as such.”
TRANSLATION: In Idaho they think men should stay out of women’s bathrooms. https://t.co/QlWpDJSK4R
— Bob Lonsberry (@BobLonsberry) March 26, 2026
According to the Idaho Statesman, the bill has some exceptions for maintenance workers, first responders, or law enforcement. The bill allows a “dire need” exception and one for parents or guardians to enter a bathroom with a child or another family member needing help.
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