Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs transgender bathroom ban bill

May 14 (UPI) -- Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed legislation to ban transgender people from using public bathrooms, including in schools, that align with their gender identities.

The Republican signed Senate Bill 2753, also known as the Securing Areas for Females Effectively and Responsibly Act, on Monday in order "to protect women's spaces," he said in a statement.

"There's no doubt that the left will continue to come up with more kooky ideas that harm biological women," he said. "And there's no doubt that Mississippi will continue to push back on them."

The bill states sex is "objective and fixed" and "solely determined by birth," while mandating that public buildings provide either single-gender or unisex public restrooms and changing areas.

Those who use a bathroom or changing area that does not correspond to their gender at birth, even if they have already transitioned, can face lawsuits filed by the state's attorney general.

Opponents of the law argue the bill disregards constitutional and civil rights of transgender people, while doing little to improve safety for women as there are already laws to protect people in public spaces.

"This creates paranoia, fuels hostility and encourages private citizens to intrude upon the privacy of others," the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi said in a late April explanation of the bill.

"Many people suffer daily with mental distress or struggle to cope with their want to change or transition within a community that is radically hateful towards them."

The bill is the latest in Mississippi targeting LGBTQ people that Reeves has signed into law. In 2021, he signed a controversial bill to ban minors from receiving gender-affirming healthcare. And in February 2023, he signed another to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.

There has also been a nationwide conservative push to pass such legislation at the state level. According to the ACLU, there are at least 515 anti-LGBTW bills that have been introduced across the country this legislative session.

According to the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, there are an estimated 9,600 adults, representing less than 0.5% of the Mississippi's population, who identify as transgender.