Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed two controversial bills into law that target transgender individuals’ access to public spaces and participation in sports.
The first, House Bill 121, bans transgender people from using restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters that align with their gender identity in a range of public facilities — including schools, libraries, hospitals, museums, detention centres, and shelters. Anyone who encounters a trans or nonbinary individual in such a facility can now legally sue them for violating the law. Exceptions apply only to janitors, maintenance staff, healthcare workers, law enforcement, and family or guardians assisting young or disabled individuals.
The second law, House Bill 300, bars trans women and girls from competing on female sports teams at educational institutions. It also controversially states that it is not discriminatory for students to misgender or deadname their trans or nonbinary peers — essentially protecting transphobic speech in schools.
The law further prohibits universities and schools from implementing admissions policies based on race, sex, religion, disability, or other diversity and inclusion metrics.
In a video statement, Governor Gianforte claimed the laws were about ensuring “fairness, privacy and security for women and girls.”
“A man shouldn’t be in a woman’s restroom, shouldn’t be in a woman’s shower room, and shouldn’t be housed in a women’s prison,” he said. “These are common sense bills. But in these days, common sense isn’t so common.”
Gianforte also described his opposition to what he called “radical far-left gender ideology,” suggesting that trans women present a safety threat — a claim that contradicts research showing cisgender men are more likely to commit violence against women.
Montana now joins 26 other U.S. states that have enacted sports bans targeting trans women and girls, and is the 17th to implement a bathroom ban, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
Trans advocates and civil liberties groups have strongly condemned the laws.
“These bills are another cruel attempt by Montana Republicans to harass trans people,” said transgender state legislator Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) via Bluesky. “These bills do not make women safe. They merely infringe on the privacy rights of trans Montanans & endanger us as we live our lives in public.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) noted that trans people are more likely to be harassed in public bathrooms.
“One survey found that 12% had been verbally harassed in public restrooms in the previous year, and 60% had avoided using public restrooms because they feared confrontation,” the organisation said.
The ACLU added that the law’s binary definition of “sex” also harms intersex, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming individuals, erasing identities that don’t fit rigid biological categories.
“The act invites public scrutiny — and exclusion — of anyone who doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes,” they stated.
With a record 120 anti-trans bills introduced across the U.S. so far this year, trans communities and their allies warn that the legislative tide is growing — and so too is the fight for their rights.
