STILL working to Ensure Girls' Bathrooms are Just for Girls
Mar 14, 2025 by FACT
Biological males do not belong in bathrooms designated for biological females.
That shouldn’t be a controversial statement, but unfortunately, in today’s world, it still is, even in our state. Family Action Council of Tennessee has been fighting on the frontlines of this battle for nearly a decade, arguing that men have no place in women’s bathrooms, showers, or locker rooms. In 2016, we were the first organization to advocate for a bill enshrining into law protections for women’s and girls' private spaces. Unfortunately, due to opposition from Republican leadership at the time, we lost that battle. Fast forward nine years, and we are still having to fight the war, one bill at a time.
In 2023, Senator Kerry Roberts and Representative Gino Bulso led an effort to pass into law SB 1440 / HB 239, which defines sex, just as revealed in God’s created order, as “a person’s immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person’s biological sex.” In other words, we are born male or female. Thankfully, this common-sense measure was passed into law and serves as a building block for legislation continuing to push back against radical transgender ideology.
This year, Rep. Bulso is again leading the charge with HB 0064. Senator Janice Bowling sponsored its companion bill, SB 0472. The measure requires that “All residential educational programs in this state, regardless of type or duration, that allow minors to participate or to access residential facilities must segregate all multi-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and showers by sex, as defined in § 1-3-105(c)..” That code reference connects directly to the above definition of “sex”, meaning that no biological boys would be allowed in female private spaces, and vice versa.
This bill would be another big win for protecting girls in Tennessee’s private and public residential educational programs, such as boarding schools. But this measure does not close all the loopholes needed to protect the women of our state. It reminds us of the ongoing need to stay engaged, as we know this war will be won one step at a time here at the state level.
Thankfully, President Trump has enacted several provisions that will safeguard women and girls for the next four years while the Tennessee legislature works to enact more permanent protections for our state. President Trump has signed Executive Orders to ban men from competing in female sports at federally funded schools and universities, reaffirmed that Title IX protections are based on sex, not “gender identity,” and declared that federal law will only recognize two sexes: male and female. Other executive actions from Trump’s desk have reined in the radical LGBT agenda, such as prohibiting federal employees from using “personal pronouns” in email signatures and banning the “Pride” flag from being flown on government property. These changes may seem inconsequential, but they add up to a larger message: the woke agenda is currently not welcome in America. But it is our job to permanently codify all of this into the laws of Tennessee.
We’re incredibly thankful for the strong conservative leaders who have worked tirelessly to enshrine protections for women and girls in Tennessee state law, such as Rep. Bulso and Senators Bowling & Roberts, who are helping clean up the holes in statewide policy. HB 0064 and possibly SB 0472 will be up for floor votes next week. Please contact your legislators in support of these critical bills. Your voice matters!
That shouldn’t be a controversial statement, but unfortunately, in today’s world, it still is, even in our state. Family Action Council of Tennessee has been fighting on the frontlines of this battle for nearly a decade, arguing that men have no place in women’s bathrooms, showers, or locker rooms. In 2016, we were the first organization to advocate for a bill enshrining into law protections for women’s and girls' private spaces. Unfortunately, due to opposition from Republican leadership at the time, we lost that battle. Fast forward nine years, and we are still having to fight the war, one bill at a time.
In 2023, Senator Kerry Roberts and Representative Gino Bulso led an effort to pass into law SB 1440 / HB 239, which defines sex, just as revealed in God’s created order, as “a person’s immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person’s biological sex.” In other words, we are born male or female. Thankfully, this common-sense measure was passed into law and serves as a building block for legislation continuing to push back against radical transgender ideology.
This year, Rep. Bulso is again leading the charge with HB 0064. Senator Janice Bowling sponsored its companion bill, SB 0472. The measure requires that “All residential educational programs in this state, regardless of type or duration, that allow minors to participate or to access residential facilities must segregate all multi-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and showers by sex, as defined in § 1-3-105(c)..” That code reference connects directly to the above definition of “sex”, meaning that no biological boys would be allowed in female private spaces, and vice versa.
This bill would be another big win for protecting girls in Tennessee’s private and public residential educational programs, such as boarding schools. But this measure does not close all the loopholes needed to protect the women of our state. It reminds us of the ongoing need to stay engaged, as we know this war will be won one step at a time here at the state level.
Thankfully, President Trump has enacted several provisions that will safeguard women and girls for the next four years while the Tennessee legislature works to enact more permanent protections for our state. President Trump has signed Executive Orders to ban men from competing in female sports at federally funded schools and universities, reaffirmed that Title IX protections are based on sex, not “gender identity,” and declared that federal law will only recognize two sexes: male and female. Other executive actions from Trump’s desk have reined in the radical LGBT agenda, such as prohibiting federal employees from using “personal pronouns” in email signatures and banning the “Pride” flag from being flown on government property. These changes may seem inconsequential, but they add up to a larger message: the woke agenda is currently not welcome in America. But it is our job to permanently codify all of this into the laws of Tennessee.
We’re incredibly thankful for the strong conservative leaders who have worked tirelessly to enshrine protections for women and girls in Tennessee state law, such as Rep. Bulso and Senators Bowling & Roberts, who are helping clean up the holes in statewide policy. HB 0064 and possibly SB 0472 will be up for floor votes next week. Please contact your legislators in support of these critical bills. Your voice matters!
