Texas becomes 20th US state with a transgender bathroom ban
"It is a common-sense public safety issue” said Governor Greg Abbott as he signed the bill, set to take effect on 4 December 2025
By Aaron Sugg
Texas is set to become the 20th US state to ban transgender people from using public bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
The new law, signed by governor Greg Abbott on Monday (22 September), prevents transgender individuals from using single-sex toilets that correspond with their gender identity.
The legislation has been in the works for over a decade. Texas first considered similar bills in 2015 and 2017, but they failed amid widespread boycotts.
“It is a common sense public safety issue” – governor Greg Abbott on signing the transgender bathroom bill
North Carolina became the first state to prohibit transgender people from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, though the law was repealed in 2017.
The new law bars transgender people from using restrooms in state-owned buildings and public schools, including universities. Institutions that violate the measure could face fines of up to $125,000 (£93,000).
The law also extends to prisons, requiring that inmates be housed according to their birth sex, and bars trans women from receiving services at women’s domestic violence shelters.
I signed a law banning men in women’s restrooms.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 22, 2025
It is a common sense public safety issue. pic.twitter.com/fDoHqu0EYd
Abbott posted a video of himself signing the bill to his X, writing: “I sign a law banning men in women’s restrooms. It is a common sense public safety issue.”
The law will take effect on 4 December, making Texas the 20th state to impose such restrictions, following Florida, Montana, Ohio, Wyoming and others.
“Is it your intention to run trans people out of the state of Texas?” – Democrat Erin Zwiener on the effects of the bathroom bill
Opponents have criticised the law. State representative Erin Zwiener, a Democrat, asked during the debate: “Is it your intention to run trans people out of the state of Texas?”
Meanwhile, Republican state representative Angelia Orr referred to trans women as men and said the legislation is intended “to keep women and girls safe.”
During debate over the legislation last month, Jessica González said she was accused of entering the wrong public bathroom in the Texas Capitol, despite being a cisgender woman.
“It targets any individual whose appearance does not align with traditional standards” – Democrat Jessica González on the limitations of the bathroom bill
Under the new law, the chair of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus took to social media, saying, “All Texans will be put at risk of harassment and violence” under the bathroom law.
“It targets any individual whose appearance does not align with traditional standards of gender presentation,” González added.
She concluded: “Texans should not have to enter a public building in fear of being discriminated against because of how they look. We urge the courts to strike down this dangerous law, and will continue to stand against these attempts to alienate transgender Texans and ensure the safety of all individuals.”
The bathroom ban for transgender people is currently under review in the UK, following the 16 April 2025 Supreme Court ruling that defined ‘woman’ as the gender assigned at birth.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is updating its guidance and faces a judicial review in the High Court in November 2025.