North Dakota governor signs bathroom law designating public facilities as male or female

Gov. Doug Burgum signed a bill restricting the use of certain public bathrooms, locker rooms, and related facilities to male or female.

According to the bill’s official summary, it restricts “the use of restrooms, locker rooms, and shower rooms in a dormitory or living facility controlled by the state board of higher education, a correctional facility, the North Dakota youth correctional center, and the penitentiary exclusively for males and females.”

The legislation, HB 1473, also stipulates that facility administrators should “provide a reasonable accommodation for an inmate, including a transgender or gender-nonconforming inmate, as deemed appropriate by the administrator.”

A Senate-amended version of the bill passed the House 78–14 on Friday, sending it to the governor on Tuesday, when he signed it, according to the AP. The Senate approved the bill 42-5 on April 3.

Supporters of the bill argue it protects women’s safety and privacy. Opponents claim it infringes on the rights of transgender-identifying individuals. 

“Why would you not want a men’s bathroom to be for men, and a women’s bathroom to be for women?” Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot, told the AP Wednesday. 

Already this month Burgum signed a bill banning cross-sex procedures for minors and two bills focused on banning transgender participation in women’s sports.