"Utah Senators Revise Bathroom and DEI Bills, Impacting Transgender Rights"

Utah senators made significant changes to a transgender bathroom bill, removing sex-based distinctions in restrooms in government-owned buildings while retaining limits on restroom use that doesn't match an individual's sex at birth in publicly-operated changing rooms and bathrooms in public schools. The bill also excludes domestic violence shelters and other entities that receive federal grants, and enhances penalties for inappropriate behavior in restrooms. LGBTQ rights organization Equality Utah remains opposed to the bill, expressing concerns about the continued restriction of transgender children from using restrooms in public schools that correspond with their gender identity. The bill is likely to face legal challenges, and negotiations are ongoing between stakeholders with additional changes possible before final approval.