Iowa GOP's advances bill restricting school bathrooms by sex assigned at birth

DES MOINES, Iowa — GOP lawmakers are now looking at requiring students to use school restrooms and locker rooms according to the sex on their birth certificate.

That means transgender students wouldn't be allowed to use facilities that align with their gender identity.

State Senators heard from Iowans during a subcommittee Tuesday, where supporters expressed their safety concerns.

Speaking as a female, I would be concerned for my safety if males were allowed to, into the women's bathroom or locker room. But I want to point out that my concern isn't about transgenders," Amber Williams a supporter of the bill said. "Rather, the sexual predators that could exploit this type of situation by posing as transgender in order to gain access to women and girls.

Schools would need to make accommodations for students who need to use alternate bathrooms or locker rooms.

Others argue this bill would isolate transgender students and could lead to bullying or discrimination.

Around 10 a.m. I used the restroom here in the Capitol, and was asked if I was in the right restroom and if I knew that this was the women's bathroom," Iowa Safe Schools Executive Director Becky Tayler said. "This bill empowers everyday individuals to attempt to police restrooms and make even non-transgender individuals, like myself, feel unwelcome simply because of how they're dressed, how they style their hair, or how someone thinks a man or a woman should look.

There are a couple of different versions of the bill making their way through the Capitol, with two of them advancing in the House and Senate.