Tennessee Governor Signs Bathroom Bill

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Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill on May 14 targeting bathroom and locker room access for transgender students and threatening lawsuits against those who dare violate the legislation.

The “Tennessee Accommodations for All Children Act” allows individuals to sue a public school if they encounter “a person of the opposite sex” in a multi-occupancy school bathroom, locker room, or if they are required to dorm with a person of another gender during a school trip. This bill purports to provide reasonable accommodation to any student who does not want to use a multi-stalled restroom or changing facility.

According to the bill’s text, schools will face legal consequences if they “intentionally allowed a member of the opposite sex to enter the multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility while other persons were present.”