Idaho advocates build restroom map for transgender residents as law takes effect

Advocates in Idaho have launched an online map intended to help transgender people and others find places to use the restroom safely after the state enacted a law criminalizing some restroom use in public settings.

Trans Affirm has released the “Idaho Inclusive Bathroom Map,” which highlights both inclusive and non-inclusive locations where residents can access restroom facilities aligned with their gender identity. The project was developed in response to Idaho Gov. Brad Little signing one of the broadest restroom statutes in the country.

“It is already a confusing law as it is,” Trans Affirm board member Scar Rulien told the Idaho Capital Sun. “And it can be scary for transgender people, who identify as one gender, to use the bathroom that is of the gender that they don’t identify as.”

Rulien said the risk can be especially acute for people who are transitioning and whose appearance may not match the gender marker they are expected to follow under the law.

According to the map’s description page, the guide was created to give Idahoans a practical tool for finding safe spaces and sharing community knowledge.

“The Idaho Safe Bathroom List was created because our communities need practical tools, not just conversations,” the website says. “We wanted to build a resource made by Idahoans, for Idahoans, that increases access to information, strengthens community knowledge sharing, and helps people feel more prepared when moving through public spaces.”

Most of the locations currently listed as safe are single-stall, gender-neutral restrooms. The map also includes public spaces identified through community input as “positive and welcoming.” Trans Affirm says it plans to update the list regularly as business policies and other community-space rules change.

The Idaho law makes it a crime to “knowingly and willfully” enter a restroom or changing facility that does not match one’s sex assigned at birth in a government building or place of public accommodation. A first offense can bring up to one year in jail, while a second conviction within five years can be charged as a felony and carry a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.

Last month, a federal judge blocked some government enforcement of the ban in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of transgender Idahoans and supported by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The map’s launch underscores how quickly advocates are building practical tools to respond to the law’s impact on daily life, particularly for transgender Idahoans who may need clear information about where they can use a restroom without fear.