This State Just Signed 2 Anti-Transgender Bills Into Law

Idaho becomes first state to enact such legislation
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 31, 2020 4:32 PM CDT
This State Just Signed 2 Anti-Transgender Bills Into Law
Idaho Gov. Brad Little issues a statewide stay-at-home order to further prevent spread of coronavirus at a press conference, Wednesday, March 25, 2020 held at Gowen Field, headquarters of the Idaho Army National Guard in Boise, Idaho.   (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP)

More than 40 anti-transgender bills were introduced in various states this year, and on Monday, Idaho became the first to enact its versions, the AP reports. Gov. Brad Little signed into law one bill keeping transgender girls and women from participating in women's sports and another barring anyone from changing the sex listed on their birth certificate. In 2018, a federal court ruled that a different law prohibiting transgender people from changing their birth certificate violated the US Constitution's Equal Protection Clause; the judge tossed that ban and warned against new ones. Of the new law, one attorney involved in the prior court case says, "There's an injunction that already absolutely forbids this policy, and the government can't enforce this law without violating a court order. The ramifications of contempt (of court) are quite furious."

The birth certificate legislation takes effect July 1, and the Idaho attorney general's office acknowledges it could cost $1 million if the state is forced to defend the new ban and loses. The attorney says the court could fine the state and even hold Idaho Department of Health and Welfare officials responsible for violating the court order. As for the sports ban, it applies to any team sponsored by public schools, colleges, and universities. Per CNN, that bill says if a "dispute" arises over gender, an examination of "the student's reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously 19 produced testosterone levels" must be carried out. The ACLU has promised to fight both laws. Of the more than 40 similar bills introduced this year, the AP notes "most have died," while others are "considered unlikely to win final passage." (More transgender stories.)

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