"Say, one of the men here walks into the men's bathroom, and you see me walk into a stall, and you know I'm trans. And since you're all law-abiding citizens, you're going to call 911. You're going to say, 'Hello 911? There's a trans person in the bathroom. They're peeing right now, I'm scared. Please come and arrest them.'"
"Say I happen to walk behind a woman, and her husband sees someone who looks like me following his wife into the bathroom, what do you think happens next? Maybe the cops get called. But more likely, that man is going to follow me into the bathroom, confront me, and even assault me."
"So every single day, when I'm out in public, I have to decide: do I feel like going to jail today, or do I feel like being attacked?"
Idaho House Bill 752 would criminalize trans people using public bathrooms aligned with their gender identity, with penalties of up to one year imprisonment for first offenses and five years for second offenses within five years. Trans man Nixon Matthews testified at a legislative hearing, describing the bill's devastating practical impact. If using the men's bathroom, he risks arrest; if using the women's bathroom, he risks physical confrontation and assault from men protecting women. Matthews emphasized that daily public activities force trans people to choose between legal consequences and personal safety. He noted the proposed penalty exceeds sentences for DUI, assault, and battery, highlighting the bill's severity.
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