Bill Restricting Facility Access Based on Biological Sex

NASHVILLE (March 17) – A Tennessee bill that would require public schools, domestic violence shelters, and correctional facilities to designate restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping areas based on biological sex is advancing in the state legislature.

Senate Bill 0468, known as the "Women's Safety and Protection Act," establishes legal definitions of sex, male, and female under state law. The bill mandates that certain facilities restrict access based on biological sex rather than gender identity, affecting public schools, correctional institutions, and domestic violence shelters.

If passed, public schools would be required to assign restrooms and changing rooms exclusively for males, females, or families. Students attending overnight school trips would only be allowed to share sleeping quarters with members of the same sex unless they are family members and have parental approval.

The bill also applies to domestic violence shelters, where restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping areas must be designated for biological males or females. Entering facilities assigned to the opposite sex would be prohibited except in cases of law enforcement intervention, medical emergencies, or custodial services.

Correctional and juvenile detention facilities would also be required to house inmates and detainees based on biological sex for sleeping, restroom, and changing areas. Single-occupancy accommodations would remain an option when deemed necessary.

The legislation includes an enforcement provision allowing individuals who believe they have been harmed by violations of these policies to file lawsuits against public schools, shelters, or correctional facilities. It explicitly rejects gender identity as a determining factor for facility access, defining sex strictly as biological and immutable.

SB 0468 was filed on January 29, 2025, and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 12. A hearing is scheduled for March 18, 2025. If enacted, the law would take effect on July 1, 2025, requiring statewide compliance. The bill remains under consideration in the Tennessee General Assembly.