Idaho Lawmakers Push New Bathroom Bills

Proposed legislation aims to restrict bathroom access based on biological sex, sparking debate over LGBTQ+ rights and public safety.

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

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Two Idaho lawmakers have proposed new bathroom bills that would require people to use restrooms and changing rooms corresponding to their biological sex, despite disagreement over whether this is an actual issue in the state. The bills, which could make it a misdemeanor to knowingly enter the 'wrong' bathroom or allow people to sue government entities, have reignited debates over LGBTQ+ rights, public safety, and the role of government in regulating personal spaces.

Why it matters

These bills are the latest in a series of measures targeting LGBTQ+ individuals in Idaho, which has become a battleground state for legislation on issues like transgender athletes in women's sports. The debate highlights the ongoing tensions between protecting individual privacy and preventing discrimination, as well as the challenges of crafting laws to address perceived problems that may not have clear evidence of widespread occurrence.

The details

The two proposed bills, one from Rep. Cornel Rasor and another from Rep. Ted Hill, would impose penalties for people who 'knowingly and willfully' enter bathrooms or changing rooms that do not match their biological sex. The bills contain some exemptions, such as for single-occupancy facilities or medical assistance, but lawmakers debated issues like how to determine someone's biological sex and what to do in emergency situations.

  • The bills were proposed by Idaho lawmakers on February 7, 2026.

The players

Rep. Cornel Rasor

An Idaho state representative who proposed a bill that could make it a misdemeanor to 'knowingly and willfully' enter a restroom or changing room in a government building or public place that does not match one's biological sex.

Rep. Ted Hill

An Idaho state representative who presented a bill that could allow people to sue government entities in certain circumstances if someone finds a person of the opposite sex in a bathroom or changing room, and could also make public places liable if they don't take 'reasonable steps' to ensure bathrooms and changing rooms remain single-sex.

Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen

An Idaho Falls Republican who disagreed with the proposed bathroom bills, ultimately joining the House State Affairs committee's two Democrats in voting against introducing Rasor's resolution.

Rep. Bruce Skaug

An Idaho state representative who supported Rasor's new bathroom bills, citing a personal experience at SeaWorld where his 12-year-old daughter was 'shaken' after seeing a 'bearded man in a dress and high heels' in the women's restroom.

Rep. Monica Church

A Boise Democrat who warned that lawmakers are focusing not on a crime but on the act of existing in a space, saying 'What we're saying is what we don't want to happen to our daughter is that she sees a man.'

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What they’re saying

“The concern I have, and the people that have come to me have, is the multitudes of women and girls who are afraid to even speak about this because there's no avenue to deal with it. This provides an avenue to deal with it so they can begin reclaiming their spaces.”

— Rep. Cornel Rasor (Idaho Statesman)

“I've been a female my whole life. I've never had a man in the women's bathroom in my entire life, in my existence, across this globe, across this country, across this state. I think sometimes we are legislating for problems that might happen or are one-offs, and I don't think we should be legislating like that.”

— Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen (Idaho Statesman)

“This is a little bit personal to me. We were at SeaWorld many years ago … my 12-year-old girl walked out of the restroom at SeaWorld just pale and white, a little shaken. She'd washed her hands in the sink in the restroom, and there was a bearded man in a dress and high heels next to her in the women's restroom. We'd never seen or heard of anything like that before.”

— Rep. Bruce Skaug (Idaho Statesman)

“What we're saying is what we don't want to happen to our daughter is that she sees a man. That's the crime. She sees one in a public bathroom … not that she was assaulted or raped or, again, all things that we have penalties for, but the thing that we want to save her from is seeing a man in a place.”

— Rep. Monica Church (Idaho Statesman)

What’s next

The Idaho House State Affairs committee will decide whether to introduce Rasor's and Hill's bathroom bills for further consideration by the full state legislature.

The takeaway

These proposed bathroom bills in Idaho reflect the ongoing tensions between protecting individual privacy and preventing discrimination, as well as the challenges of crafting laws to address perceived problems that may not have clear evidence of widespread occurrence. The debate highlights the state's position as a battleground for legislation targeting LGBTQ+ rights, raising questions about the role of government in regulating personal spaces.