Utah’s Republican-led legislature has approved a bill prohibiting transgender students from living in dorms that match their gender identity. The bill will return to the state House for concurrence on a small amendment before heading to Gov. Spencer Cox (R) for a signature. He is expected to sign the bill into law.

House Bill 269, proposed by Rep. Stephanie Gricius (R), has been framed by Republicans as a privacy bill. It states that students at public colleges and universities can only enter or live in gendered spaces such as dorm buildings, locker rooms, or bathrooms that correspond with their assigned sex at birth.

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The bill originated after Utah State University student Avery Saltzman found out that her resident assistant (RA), Marcie Robertson, is a transgender woman. Saltzman objected, saying that she felt “uncomfortable” sharing a dorm hall with her.

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The girl’s mother, Cheryl Saltzman, then made a social media post calling out the university for not providing notice that her daughter would have a trans suitemate — Republican legislative leaders promised to address the situation.

Marcie Robertson’s mother, McKinsey Robertson, described watching in excitement as her daughter learned she would be the dorm RA.

McKinsey Robertson said her daughter Marcie was looking forward to making new friends at the university. However, she had that feeling replaced with dread, and sadness as she became the target of death threats following Cheryl Saltzman’s social post. 

“I am appalled at the writers of this bill for holding the safety of other girls over the safety of mine,” McKinsey told The Salt Lake Tribune.

During floor debate on the bill, state Rep. Sarah Hayes (D), Utah’s only out LGBTQ+ lawmaker, defended the trans RA, saying that no one’s privacy has been violated more than Marcie Robertson’s.

State Sen. Daniel Thatcher (R), the only Republican legislator to vote against the bill, expressed feelings of shame towards his colleagues for repeatedly passing legislation that he said harms a small group of vulnerable people.

During floor debate, State Sen. David Hinkins (R) compared being transgender to getting caught with alcohol and cigarettes. He shared how he was once booted from housing at Brigham Young University for smoking and drinking alcohol in violation of campus rules, before finding other housing. He said losing housing is an appropriate action for someone who can’t follow the rules or social expectations.

“If you don’t fit in, then that’s your own fault,” Hinkins said.

The bill now heads to Gov. Cox (R). Last year, Cox shared misinformation about Olympic female boxer Imane Khelif, falsely accusing her of being a biological male despite her being a cis female athlete.

In a statement asking Cox to veto the bill, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote, “HB269 relegates transgender students to gender-neutral or single-occupant dormitories, yet these options do not exist at all public colleges and universities in Utah. As a result, students may be excluded from campus housing entirely pending the completion of the Utah System of Higher Education’s rulemaking process to expand access in these facilities.”

“Even if such housing were available statewide, this legislation risks creating a separate, unequal, and stigmatizing system that isolates rather than includes,” the ACLU’s statement added.

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