The Mississippi House of Representatives has passed Senate Bill 2753, a bill that restricts transgender individuals from using sex-specific facilities based on their gender identity. The measure, known as the Safer Act, passed the House 80-32 after a one-hour debate, largely following party lines.
Under the bill, public restrooms, changing rooms, and dormitories in public spaces would be designated for use according to a person’s sex assigned at birth. This includes government buildings such as courthouses, state parks, and municipal buildings. Transgender individuals would be restricted to using facilities that align with the sex they were assigned at birth, unless they opt for unisex restrooms. The legislation also mandates that transgender individuals be housed in college dorms corresponding to their birth-assigned sex.
Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, who presented the bill, defended it as a way to protect privacy. “Boys will go to boys’ bathrooms, girls will go to girls’ bathrooms,” Hood said, reaffirming that facilities should be used according to a person’s biological sex.