Newsom Signs Law Requiring Gender-Neutral Bathrooms in California K-12 Schools

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law requiring all schools in the state to provide gender-neutral bathrooms.

The new legislation, signed on Saturday, expands a state law that schools allow students to use bathrooms that align with their “gender identity.”

“The bill, which explicitly requires an additional gender-neutral option, was inspired by an attempt by Chino Valley Unified to restrict transgender students’ access to certain bathrooms and sports facilities,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “The law is part of a package of bills aiming to protect LGBTQ+ youths and comes amid proliferating culture wars in districts with conservative-controlled school boards, whose focus has become ‘parental rights’ and student gender identity.”