Overview
- Texas’ SB 8 took effect Dec. 4, requiring people in public facilities to use restrooms based on sex assigned at birth and empowering the attorney general to fine public entities from $25,000 to $125,000.
- UT Austin replaced gender-neutral signage and adopted a policy mirroring the law’s sex-based definitions, converting at least one multi-stall gender-neutral restroom to a women’s facility as enforcement details remain unclear.
- Transgender activists who tested restroom access at the Capitol reported uneven actions by DPS troopers, including ID requests, and several received one-year criminal trespass warnings from Capitol grounds.
- Austin City Council unanimously directed staff to assess city facilities and design gender-inclusive options, including adding single-occupancy restrooms estimated at more than $14 million or converting all multi-stall facilities for about $232.5 million.
- Council Member Mike Siegel criticized the law as discriminatory and signaled potential legal action, while supporters of SB 8 say the measure protects women and children in public spaces.