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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has approved legislation that prevents transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms aligned with their gender identity in schools. The new law mandates that students at Ohio K-12 schools and universities use facilities that correspond to their gender as assigned at birth. Additionally, it bans students from sharing overnight accommodations with individuals of a different gender assigned at birth in K-12 schools.

The law does allow for single-occupancy facilities and provides exceptions for caregivers assisting persons with disabilities or children younger than ten. The legislation is set to come into effect 90 days following the Governor's signature. However, opposition is brewing, with an anticipated lawsuit challenging this law already looming. The Ohio Capital Journal discussed potential legal complications with a Cleveland attorney, questioning the enforcement of such policies.

Despite considerable opposition from several transgender Ohioans, allies, and educators urging Governor DeWine to veto the bill, it was ultimately signed into law. One family voiced their intent to relocate due to escalating anti-transgender actions within the Ohio Statehouse.

The bathroom ban, initially introduced as House Bill 183 by State Representatives Beth Lear and Adam Bird, was incorporated into Senate Bill 104, which revises the College Credit Plus program. This integration occurred abruptly towards the end of a House session in late June before lawmakers embarked on an extended break. Upon reconvening, the Ohio Senate concurred with the amendments to S.B. 104.

According to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, about 3% of high school students identify as transgender. The American Medical Association disapproves of policies that restrict transgender individuals from accessing public facilities that align with their gender identity.

The Trevor Project's data from 2022 indicates that over half of Ohio's transgender and nonbinary youths considered suicide that year. A 2021 GLSEN report revealed that a significant proportion of LGBTQ+ students were barred from using appropriate bathrooms and locker rooms. Specifically, 42% of transgender and nonbinary students in Ohio couldn't use bathrooms, and 36% couldn't use locker rooms that matched their gender identity.

Research published in the journal Pediatrics in 2019 highlights that transgender youth denied access to gender-aligned bathrooms face an increased risk of sexual violence. The United States has seen similar laws implemented in states like Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Florida, and Utah. Several of these states, including Florida, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Tennessee, have faced legal challenges over their laws, with Idaho's law being blocked by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit last year.

In a historical context, North Carolina was the first state to pass such a law in 2016, facing substantial financial fallout and subsequent appeals.