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Idaho Activists, Officials Decry Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills as House Passes Trans Bathroom Ban in Businesses
The bill permits civil suits against entities failing to separate restrooms by biological sex, passed by a 56-13 vote in Idaho’s Republican supermajority House.
- On Feb. 16, 2026, the Idaho House passed HB-607, requiring sex-separated restrooms in public and government buildings, and now heads to the Idaho State Senate.
- Drafted by the Idaho Family Policy Center, the bill's text frames shared restrooms as infringing privacy, with sponsor Rep. Ted Hill citing safety concerns.
- Under HB-607, government entities face a $10,000 mandatory fine for failing to segregate restrooms by biological sex, while private businesses must take `reasonable steps` to prevent cross-sex access or face civil lawsuits.
- Opponents argued on Feb. 16 that the legislation targets LGBTQ+ people and makes transgender residents feel unsafe, including Nikson Mathews and Boise Mayor Lauren McLean.
- The legislation sits alongside measures that include House Bill 557 to eliminate local anti-discrimination laws, House Bill 561 restricting flags, House Bill 516 barring classroom instruction on sexual orientation, and House Bill 606 proposing criminal penalties.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Idaho House Votes, Passes Trans Bathroom Ban In Private Businesses As Bill Rockets Through Legislature
Photo by Juan Marin on UnsplashErin In The Morning is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber.Yesterday, Idaho's House of Representatives passed one of the most sweeping anti-transgender bills ever advanced through a U.S. state legislative chamber: a bathroom ban that extends to private businesses. The bill, which passed 56-13, would allow individuals to sue private businesses that…
House Bill 606 — Restrooms, opposite sex (+1)
Bill Description: House Bill 606 would make it a crime to enter a restroom or changing room designated for the opposite sex in a government-owned building or a place of public accommodation, with certain narrow exceptions. Rating: +1 NOTE: House Bill 606 deals with single-sex restrooms and changing rooms. It is related to House Bill 607 […]
LGBTQ+ Idahoans say they felt unprotected. Now, they’re ‘actively targeted’
Idaho lawmakers fiercely debated a proposal to allow people to sue businesses and local governments that allow transgender people to use the restrooms aligning with their gender identity. For sponsor Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, it boiled down to a question…
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