After passing the Utah Legislature, the transgender dorm measure is on its way to Governor Cox’s desk

Salt Lake City, Utah – After passing the Utah Legislature on Monday, a bill that would prevent transgender students from living on campus is currently being readied for Governor Spencer Cox’s consideration.

Utah lawmakers passed H.B. 269, “Privacy Protections in Sex-designated Areas,” on Monday. On Tuesday, the bill was forwarded to the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel for enrollment, or preparation, for Governor Cox’s consideration. Cox will have to decide whether to reject the bill, sign it into law, or let it pass without his signature.

The purpose of the bill is to prevent transgender students from residing in accommodations designated for a different sex than their biological sex. Intersex people would be exempt from the proposed regulation, which would not apply to unisex or single-occupant student accommodation.

Shortly after House Speaker Mike Schultz criticized a transgender lady for supposedly serving as a “dorm mom” to female students at Utah State University, the bill was put forth. Although there are neither all-male nor all-female residential halls, the university said she was a resident assistant.

The university did not address the issue in its statement, but one parent informed ABC4 that the transgender student was residing in her daughter’s apartment.

H.B. 269, a law that advocates claim will protect students’ privacy, was the result of this issue.
“A degree-granting institution that offers student housing may only rent to, assign, or otherwise place an individual in a dwelling unit that is sex-designated … if the individual’s sex corresponds with the sex designation of the dwelling unit … in order to preserve the individual privacy of males and females,” the bill states.

Opposition politicians referred to the law as “government overreach” and suggested it was hurriedly drafted because the inciting incident occurred just a few weeks before the legislative session began.

During the open session, Senator Jen Plumb (D-District 9) remarked, “I have to wonder if there isn’t a way for us to navigate these spaces where there is discomfort in a way that doesn’t ‘other’ people and make people feel like they’re being legislated out of existence.”

On June 1, 2025, the bill will become operative if Cox decides to sign it into law. This implies that starting in the fall semester, transgender students will not be permitted to live in housing that corresponds with their gender identity.