SB 1100, known as the 'Bathroom bill,' is headed to Governor Little's Desk.
If passed into law, the bill would require schools to maintain separate bathrooms and changing facilities for men and women and prohibit using those facilities by people assigned to the opposite sex at birth.
"We have seen several school districts throughout the state allow children to use the facilities based on gender identity and not biological sex. And that allows for privacy and safety rights concerns for the students," said Blaine Conzatti, President of the Idaho Policy Center.
The bill will require schools to maintain separate bathrooms and changing facilities for men and women. Students would be required to use facilities based on the gender they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify as.
"When the schools allow him to use the bathroom of his choice, it's a non-issue. He uses the bathroom and doesn't hurt anybody," said Bobbie Aitchison, Mother of Jake Aitchison, a transgender teen.
Bobbie Aitchison fears that her son will suffer at school if Bill SB-1100 gets signed into law.
The bill allows students to sue the school for up to $5,000 per violation if they encounter a member of the opposite sex in a restroom, changing, or sleeping area.
Jake, a high school student in McCall, said he thinks using women's facilities would be more of a shock to women based on his appearance.
"If I walk into a women's bathroom out in public, that's not going to be cool with anyone that does not know me or anybody that does know me," said Jake Aitchison.
The Idaho News 6 team asked Governor Little regarding SB-1100, and the governor offered no comment except that he and his team are reviewing the bill.
