A controversial bill moving through Indiana’s legislature is raising serious concerns for transgender and intersex people across the state. Last week, the Indiana state Senate passed Senate Bill 182 in a 37 to 8 vote. The measure would legally define male and female based solely on sex assigned at birth, ignoring gender identity. The bill now heads to the Republican-controlled state House. If passed, the law would block trans people from updating the sex listed on their birth certificates unless they have what the bill calls “a medically verifiable disorder of sex development.”
It would also require students at public schools and colleges to use bathrooms, locker rooms, and dorms based on sex assigned at birth. The bill allows individuals to sue schools, companies, or other individuals accused of violating the law, potentially recovering legal costs and attorneys’ fees. It also forces incarcerated trans people into facilities based on sex assigned at birth, despite federal data showing trans inmates are far more likely to experience sexual violence. The ACLU of Indiana warns the bill would amount to “mandating discrimination against transgender and intersex people.”
