1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any legislation that would ban transgender people from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity, particularly bills that extend these restrictions to private businesses and create civil or criminal liability for individuals. Kansas recently became the first state to clearly target private business bathrooms with SB 244 and HB 2426, passed through a rushed gut-and-go process in January 2025. This legislation goes far beyond previous bathroom bans by creating a mechanism for private citizens to sue transgender people encountered in any restroom, whether in government buildings or private businesses. It also includes provisions to revoke driver's licenses of transgender people and force them to obtain new ones reflecting their assigned sex at birth. Though vetoed, Republicans have enough seats to potentially override. Idaho is now following with House Bill 607, scheduled for committee hearing, which would allow lawsuits against any place of public accommodation that permits transgender people to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity. Additional bills have emerged in Indiana (HB 1198) with criminal penalties for anyone who knowingly enters a restroom designated for a different assigned sex at birth, and Missouri (HB 2314) which would weaponize the state's Human Rights Act against private businesses. This represents a dangerous escalation. Earlier bathroom bans focused on schools and government buildings, but this new wave targets private businesses and moves enforcement from institutional hands into the realm of lawsuits and vigilantism. These bills create legal chaos for businesses trying to serve their customers and employees, expose transgender people to harassment and violence, and solve no actual problem. People should be able to use the bathroom they are comfortable with without fear of lawsuits or criminal penalties. I urge you to publicly oppose any such legislation and work to protect the dignity and safety of all constituents, including transgender people.