Here's a look at how the new bathroom bill affects the average Texan, as well as how the steep fines for breaking the rules will work.
A new Texas law mandating which bathrooms can be used by transgender people in government buildings goes into effect on Thursday. Here's a look at how it affects the average Texan, as well as how the steep fines for breaking the rules will work.
Senate Bill 8, known as the Texas "bathroom bill," requires bathrooms in schools and government buildings to be tied to biological gender. As of Thursday, transgender people will no longer be able to use a bathroom that coincides with the gender they identify with. This includes minors at public schools. The law also limits which family violence shelters, prisons and jails can house transgender people. The Texas attorney general will now have the power to investigate claims of violations and decide on the imposition of fines. Schools and government buildings found to allow violations of the bill will be subject to fines.The first violation can result in a $25,000 fine. Subsequent offenses can result in fines up to $125,000. The original version of the bill would have imposed $5,000 and $25,000 fines, which were quintupled in a last-minute amendment before being passed by the House. The penalties are limited to the places housing the bathrooms. Individuals will not be penalized. During a public hearing in the House Committee on State Affairs over the summer, lawmakers and citizens clashed over the proposition. One representative in opposition of the bill said it was "like filing a ban on Bigfoot," saying there have been no incidents in bathrooms since the last attempt at a bathroom bill eight years ago. Proponents of the bill claim they've witnessed transgender people using the "wrong" bathroom, and others denied the existence of transgender people altogether.
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