Utah senators adopted significant changes to a transgender bathroom bill on the Senate floor Wednesday — removing sex-based distinctions in restrooms in government-owned buildings, while retaining limits on restroom use that doesn’t match an individual’s sex at birth in publicly-operated changing rooms and bathrooms in public schools.
A substituted version of HB257 — which was adopted and given preliminary approval by the Senate — also excludes domestic violence shelters and other entities that receive federal grants, after service providers expressed concern the original bill could threaten millions in federal funding .
Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, the floor sponsor of the bill and sponsor of the substitute, said the new version makes a distinction between restrooms and changing rooms. The bill still requires an individual to legally change the sex on a birth certificate and undergo gender-related surgery in order to use a changing room or locker room that doesn’t match their sex at birth.