Mississippi Governor Signs SAFER ACT Barring Transgender Students from Using Gender-Aligned Bathrooms

Mississippi's SAFER Act is now going to be implemented as a law banning transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their chosen gender identification.

Governor Tate Reeves has signed and now enacted this new legislation that limits bathroom access in restrooms. The bill, known as the Securing Areas for Females Effectively and Responsibly Act (SAFER Act), requires schools to provide single-sex restrooms, changing rooms, and dormitories.

The law defines an individual's sex strictly based on their birth certificate, ignoring gender identity.

Mississippi Governor Signs Transgender Bathroom Law

Rob Hill, the Mississippi state director for the Human Rights Campaign, condemned the new law, stating it strips basic rights from LGBTQ+ individuals in the state.

Hill emphasized that the bill aims to divide communities at the expense of LGBTQ+ people, who should be free to use bathrooms and locker rooms without political interference. "Shame on the governor and the MAGA agenda of hate," he remarked.

Since North Carolina's controversial law in 2016, which was partly repealed the following year, ten other states have enacted similar measures limiting transgender individuals' access to gender-aligned restrooms.

Mississippi now joins these ranks, as reported by the Movement Advancement Project. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Senate Bill 2753, known as the SAFER Act, applies to all public education buildings, including schools and colleges, and their facilities. It also extends to fraternities and sororities, following a high-profile case where a transgender girl was allowed to stay in her sorority in Wyoming.

The law mandates discrimination against transgender individuals in single-sex educational housing spaces, such as dormitories. Additionally, it provides a "private right of action," allowing cisgender individuals to sue to prevent transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.

Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican, announced on social media platform X that the newly enacted law, effective immediately, aims to protect the safety of Mississippi's daughters.

Reeves stated that just a few years ago, the idea of needing a law to protect women in bathrooms, sororities, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and shower rooms was unthinkable. Yet, here we are.

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Nationwide Transgender Bathroom Law

The Mississippi SAFER Act, a new law being implemented to restrict transgender individuals' access to public restrooms, is part of a broader wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, over 500 such bills have been introduced across the country this year.

In 2021, Governor Reeves signed a law preventing transgender students from participating in sports that align with their gender identities. Last year, he also approved legislation that restricts transgender minors from receiving certain transition-related medical care.

Mississippi is among more than 20 Republican-led states contesting the Education Department's recent Title IX rules. These rules include provisions that explicitly prevent schools receiving federal funding from barring transgender students from using bathrooms and changing facilities that correspond with their gender identities.

In January, Utah lawmakers passed a law prohibiting transgender individuals from using bathrooms in schools and government buildings.

Earlier this month, transgender activists inundated a Utah tip line, established to report violations of the law, with thousands of false reports. This action aimed to overwhelm authorities and obscure any legitimate complaints about bathroom use.

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