Topline
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed a law on Tuesday that bans transgender people from using bathrooms that match their gender identity in public schools, the latest in a series of legislative moves targeting transgender people in GOP-led states.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the Republican response to the State of the Union … [+]
Key Facts
The new bathroom law applies to all multi-person restrooms and locker rooms at public and charter schools across the state.
School superintendents, principals and teachers who violate the law may face monetary fines of at least $1,000 while parents are also allowed to file private lawsuits to ensure its enforcement.
The law, which won’t go into effect until later this year, was passed by the state’s Republican-led legislature last week.
Schools that are covered by the law will be required to provide “reasonable accommodation,” including single person restrooms, to any individual who is “unwilling or unable” to use a multi occupancy restroom “designated for the individual’s sex.”
Arkansas is now the fourth state after Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama to prevent transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice in public schools.
Big Number
Over 435. That is the total number of bills targeting LGBTQ+ individuals moving through the legislatures of 37 states across the country, according to the Human Rights Campaign. With Huckabee Sanders’ signing of the bathroom law 10 such bills have passed into law this year and eight more are on governor’s desks awaiting passage.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/03/22/arkansas-gov-signs-law-banning-transgender-people-from-using-bathrooms-matching-their-gender-identity-in-public-schools/