SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 15, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox signed a bill Friday night, prohibiting transgender students at public universities from living in dormitories that align with their gender identity.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, mandates housing assignments which correspond to students’ sexes assigned at birth, though it permits transgender students to live in single rooms within coed dormitories.
Gov. Cox signed the controversial bill without comment.
According to Gricius, the legislation addresses privacy concerns for female students while still providing housing options for transgender individuals. When the bill was just beginning to make its way through the legislative process, Gricius told fellow lawmakers, “I want to be very, very clear: This is a sensitive and emotional issue, but no person deserves harassment, trans or otherwise.”
Critics, however, have not been swayed by Gricius’ rhetoric.
In response, the ACLU of Utah sent Cox a letter, urging him to veto the bill, stating: “These attacks harm trans people and anyone perceived as a threat by leaders who are supposed to represent all of us.
“History has shown us the dangers of using the state to single out, marginalize, and discriminate against specific communities. In our country—and even here in Utah—Black students were segregated under the pretense of ‘protection,’ and religious minorities were refused service. HB269 resurrects this discriminatory logic, targeting trans students in the name of control. Utah will look back with shame on this series of laws that discriminate against trans people.”
Cox’s decision marks a shift from his previous stance in 2022, when he vetoed a bill banning transgender girls from participating in high school sports, expressing concern for the transgender community. Since then, he has approved measures restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender youth and limiting restroom access based on gender identity in government buildings.
