North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has signed an anti-transgender “bathroom bill” into law, making it the eighth anti-LGBTQ+ measure he has signed this year. The legislation, House Bill 1473, prevents transgender people from using restrooms, showers, and changing rooms consistent with their gender identity in domestic violence shelters, correctional facilities, and dormitories at public colleges and universities.
Although dorm administrators can make “reasonable accommodation” upon request, the bill explicitly bars trans people from using facilities consistent with their gender identity. Burgum, a Republican, signed the bill on Tuesday and announced the action on Wednesday, without commenting further on the legislation.
The bill passed primarily along party lines, with Rep. Eric Murphy, one of only three House Republicans who voted against it, stating he believed it was unnecessary. This month, Burgum also signed a bill criminalizing the provision of gender-affirming care for trans minors and two bills prohibiting trans girls and women from competing on female sports teams, one affecting K-12 public schools, and the other state colleges and universities.
During this year’s legislative session, Burgum approved other anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, including a “religious refusals” bill, one calling for vital statistics collection based on gender assigned at birth, one restricting drag performances, and one banning gender changes on birth certificates. He vetoed a bill that would have prevented teachers from using students’ preferred pronouns, and lawmakers failed to override the veto.
Several more anti-LGBTQ+ bills are pending in the legislature, and North Dakota could pass more homophobic and transphobic legislation than any other state this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
In response to Burgum’s latest action, HRC State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel Cathryn Oakley issued a statement criticizing the law, stating that it places vulnerable members of the community in harm’s way. She adds that advocates for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault support full inclusion of transgender people and that stopping people from using a restroom aligned with their gender identity will do nothing to uplift the most marginalized North Dakotans. Burgum’s signing of the bill into law has drawn widespread criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, who continue to push for greater protections for transgender individuals.