Arizona bill would keep public school showers separated by biological sex

An Arizona state senator has introduced a bill requiring multioccupancy showers in public schools be separated by biological sex.

Sen. John Kavanaugh’s SB 1182 further requires public schools make a “reasonable accommodation” for students who are uncomfortable showering with those of the same sex, including options to use a single occupancy or employee shower room.

The bill defines sex to mean “a person’s immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy, physiology, genetics and hormones existing at the time of the person’s birth.” 

SB 1182 passed the state Senate in a vote of 16-13 on Feb. 26 and was sent to the state House of Representatives for consideration. 

“There have been young girls that have been victimized in bathrooms, and even by young men who use this as a loophole to enter a woman’s bathroom and potentially harm a girl,” stated Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson. 

“So for me, if there’s even the slightest chance that someone, a male with a male part, could go into the locker room where my daughters are getting dressed between PE or whatever, and start to undress in front of them, and show their male part to my youngest daughter who’s going to be going into middle school next year, I do not want to even take that chance of something like that happening to any of my daughters.” 

Opponents of the bill include House Democrats such as Rep. Lorena Austin, D-Mesa, who identifies as nonbinary and objected to “the comparison of sexual predation amongst this community and being labeled as such.”  

While SB 1182 has passed through committee in the House, it still awaits final passage by the Legislature. From there, the bill faces a likely veto on the desk of Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is an outspoken activist for pro-LGBTQ policies. 

The ongoing fight to keep trans-identifying males out of female-only spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms and prisons has only intensified in recent months.  

Alaska woman Patricia Silva has been embroiled in a conflict with Planet Fitness after finding a trans-identifying adult man shaving in the women’s locker room, which she posted a viral video about online. Planet Fitness subsequently revoked Silva’s membership, citing its tagline of creating a “Judgment Free Zone” as well as an “inclusive environment.” 

Notably, in the midst of the controversy Planet Fitness’s value declined from $5.3 billion to $4.9 billion, as Silva’s supporters across the country rallied against the gym. 

“We had to fight like hell for our women’s rights. We got kicked, we got beat, we got shot, we got killed, we got imprisoned, and we did not stop there. We pressed on,” stated Silva. “And, today, we’re just not ready to let them go.”