Poll: Banning Transgender People From Women's Restrooms

It looks like the Wyoming Legislature will consider limiting transgender people from using women's restrooms, locker rooms and similar facilities in the 2025 session.

Lawmakers will convene a two-month general session in Cheyenne on Jan. 14. While only a few bills have been formally filed yet, at least one that has been filed would ban transgender people from access to women's restrooms.

House Bill 32 is the ''What is a Woman Act." The same bill was introduced in 2024 by then Rep. Jeanette Ward [R-Casper]. The bill got a majority 37-24 vote for introduction in the Wyoming House.

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But since 2024 was a budget session, the proposal fell short of the 2/3 majority vote need to consider non-budget items. 2025 will be a General Session, meaning only a simple majority will be needed for introduction

But while Ward lost her re-election bid in November, the same bill is on the legislative agenda for the upcoming session. This time it's being sponsored by Rep. Jayme Lien [R-Natrona County] with several co-sponsors.

The bill defines ''male" and 'female' as being the gender at birth. It says that separate restrooms, as well as locker rooms and similar facilities for men and women are substantially related to the important governmental objectives of protecting the health, safety and privacy of persons in such circumstances..

The ACLU of Wyoming, commenting about the 2024 bill, said it "is trying to answer a question that is contextualized by far more than the biological gender norms that this bill is wanting to codify. This bill establishes a definition of a man or woman that completely cuts transgender people out of the picture and attempts to place outdated gender assumptions as a rule of law."

Rep. Martha Lawley Planning Legislation As Well

A second bill dealing with the issue has not been formally filed, so it's exact wording is not yet known. But an editorial from Rep. Martha Lawley says a bill she plans to sponsor would protect women from transgender people in restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities.

The exact wording and provisions of the bill are not yet available. But in an op-ed a few weeks ago she wrote that the bill. "This bill ensures that women and girls can feel safe and respected in places where privacy is essential—bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and correctional facilities."

In her op-ed, Rep. Lawley wrote about that bill and another that she is planning to sponsor on banning biological males from competing in collegiate sports against women These proposals are not about division or exclusion. They’re about fairness, safety, and ensuring that Wyoming remains a place where we look out for one another—a place where our daughters and granddaughters can compete, thrive, and feel safe in every aspect of their lives.

So what do you think of the idea of banning people transgender people from female restrooms, locker rooms and other private spaces traditionally off-limits to men?

Do such laws unfairly discriminate against transgender people in Wyoming? Or do they give women much needed privacy and safety?

Take our poll and give us your opinion!