Ohio Senate passes bill to protect bathrooms on campuses, require students to use facilities of their own biological sex
‘School leaders and parents across Ohio have expressed support for [the] protections’ included in the bill.
‘This legislation has always been about protecting students, and I think that’s something we should all be able to agree on,’ the bill’s sponsor said.
The Ohio Senate passed a bill that would require men and women to use restrooms of their own biological sex on college and university campuses, instead of those that correspond with their so-called “gender identity.”
Senate Bill 104 originally made revisions to Ohio’s College Credit Plus Program, but the House changed it to include the “Protect All Students Act,” which “[p]rohibits institutions of higher education from knowingly permitting members of the female biological sex to use a student restroom, locker room, changing room, or shower room that is designated for the male biological sex and vice versa,” according to an analysis from the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. [Italics in the original.]
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Senate Bill 104 is sponsored by Republican State Sens. Jerry Cirino and Andrew Brenner, and the Protect All Students Act was sponsored by Republican State Rep. Adam Bird.
In a Wednesday press release, Bird said: “This legislation has always been about protecting students, and I think that’s something we should all be able to agree on. Many Ohioans don’t want their local schools to allow opposite-sex access to restrooms or locker rooms. The Protect All Students Act will provide clarity and a unified approach for school leaders statewide.”
Bird’s press release also claimed that “[s]chool leaders and parents across Ohio have expressed support for these protections.”
The bill’s protections also extend to K-12 schools, which, additionally, are also required to forbid men from sharing “overnight accommodations” with women.
The Protect Our Students Act passed the Senate in a 24-7 vote and now awaits Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature, who previously promised to sign in, according to Dayton Daily News.
Republican State Sen. Niraj Antani, who voted for the legislation, said: “This is common sense policy that will ensure the safety and security of our school children. No young girl should be forced to go into the same restroom with a biological male.”
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The legislation also triggered outrage among supporters of transgenderism, with Jocelyn Rhynard, a board member of Dayton Public Schools, calling those who voted for the bill “extremists” who are in favor of “discrimination and targeting real people who just want to live their lives.”
Other states have also passed legislation to stop individuals from using restrooms of the opposite sex at schools, including Utah and Mississippi.
Campus Reform has reached out to State Rep. Adam Bird for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
