Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a bill on Wednesday requiring transgender individuals to use restrooms and public facilities that match their biological sex, which will take effect on August 1.
HB608 is called “The Women’s Safety and Protection Act,” WBRZ reported, adding:
HB608, authored by Rep. Roger Wilder, R-Denham Springs, will segregate all bathrooms, changing and locker rooms, as well as sleeping quarters by sex in public schools, domestic violence shelters and correctional facilities. This would prohibit transgender people from using facilities that align with their gender identity.
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Landry said he was proud to sign the bill, which he said “protects women’s safety and reinforces the very identity of what it means to be a woman.”
“Enough is enough,” Landry said. “Louisiana will not allow biological men to take advantage of opportunities for women.”
During its final passage, Wilder said, “We must defend the dignity, safety, and welfare of all women. I’m standing for the basic understanding that there are biological differences between females and males that create the need for separate privacy spaces for said females and males.”
“I would like to simply say that I believe that this is more about love being extended to over half of our population in this state which is female,” he added during his speech in April:
“To each of the men in this body… Why have we as men allowed this to get to this point?”
Representative @RogerWilderIII gives a fiery close on the ‘What is a Woman’ bill codifying the two sexes into LA law, HB 608. The bill passed 79-16! Next stop, Senate! #LAFreedomCaucus… pic.twitter.com/HitoyykdtF
— Louisiana Freedom Caucus (@LAFreedomCaucus) April 11, 2024
In 2021, protesters from New Orleans were enraged by a bill prohibiting “transgender girls” from joining girls’ school sports, WWLTV reported at the time:
In May, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed a bill to prohibit students from using bathrooms in public schools that did not align with their biological sex, Breitbart News reported.
“The bill, titled the ‘Securing Areas for Females Effectively and Responsibly Act’ — also known as the “Safer Act” — requires all public buildings have restrooms designated for men only, women only, or single-person spaces available to anyone,” the outlet said.
“The law also allows anyone to sue a person who uses a facility that does not correspond to their biological sex,” the report noted.