Republican legislators are planning to bring at least four bills to Wyoming’s 2025 general session aimed at restricting transgender people’s participation in certain sports and access to public bathrooms and other spaces.
Lawmakers’ increasing focus on transgender issues comes on the heels of controversy at the University of Wyoming involving its women’s volleyball team and an alleged transgender player on an opposing team. It also follows an expensive and hard-fought campaign season that saw the Wyoming Freedom Caucus win control of the House and move the body further to the right.
The exact details of the legislation remain to be seen — none of the bills had been published by press time — but they vary in scope, according to several lawmakers who spoke with WyoFile. They are being drafted less than a year after Wyoming banned gender-affirming care for minors including puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
Rep. Martha Lawley (R-Worland), who announced in an op-ed plans to bring both a sports bill and a private spaces bill, said she sees the legislation as an opportunity for lawmakers to unify around a single issue.
“I would like this to become something that’s more about the cooperation that we can engage in when we really want to,” Lawley told WyoFile. “And if there’s one place that we could showcase that it would be on an issue like this.”
One of Lawley’s bills would expand Wyoming’s transgender athlete ban beyond its current limitation on middle and high school girls sports to include elementary school and intercollegiate competition. The second measure would prohibit transgender girls and women from using women’s public bathrooms, locker rooms, showers and correctional facilities.
Lawley defeated a Freedom Caucus-backed opponent in the primary election. Whether the group brings its own legislation on the two related matters is not yet clear. Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (R-Cody) told WyoFile, “We haven’t seen [Lawley’s bills] yet, but we are pleased to see her being more responsive to the will of the people of Wyoming.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Wendy Schuler (R-Evanston) — the lead sponsor of the 2023 sports bill that became law without Gov. Mark Gordon’s signature — told WyoFile she’ll also bring legislation to extend sports ban to the collegiate level. Plus, Park County lawmakers are expected to bring a bathroom bill in support of a resolution passed by Powell’s school board last month.
Rep. Karlee Provenza (D-Laramie) told WyoFile she’s saddened by the forthcoming slate of legislation.
“I know that my colleagues are good people. I know that we all want to solve issues and problems, and so when I see this divergence from what I believe are our shared values, it’s just disappointing,” she said, adding that she’d prefer to see lawmakers coalesce around other issues like wildfires, affordable housing and recent trona mine layoffs in southwest Wyoming.
“We have real problems here,” Provenza said. “I thought I was coming [to the Legislature] to solve problems and not attack people in my district, because that’s who this impacts — it’s my district.”
Sports bans
The University of Wyoming women’s volleyball team forfeited an Oct. 5 match against San José State University because the rival team is alleged to have a transgender player.
Wyoming’s players were split 9-9, with one abstention in their team vote on whether to play the Spartans. Records indicate the decision to forfeit was ultimately made for them by higher-ups after pressure mounted from the public and elected officials.The circumstances in part inspired Lawley’s legislation.
“What happened with the volleyball was very eye-opening, I think, for a lot of people in Wyoming,” Lawley said. “I had a lot of response from constituents about that when it was happening. They were very appreciative of the decision made by the University of Wyoming. They felt it was the right decision. Honestly, their only criticism was, ‘Why did it take so long? Why was that so hard to do or figure out?’”
Lawley said her bill would provide clarity in future situations by requiring eligibility standards for intercollegiate sports at UW and Wyoming’s community colleges to be based on biological sex. It would also prohibit teams from competing against out-of-state transgender players.
“This isn’t about shutting anyone out—it’s about giving every young woman the chance to compete on a level playing field,” Lawley wrote in her op-ed. “The amendment provides legal remedies to hold institutions accountable if those rights are violated.”
The legislation also extends the ban already on the books to include all grade levels in the K-12 system. As written, the law only applies to middle and high school girls sports.
While Schuler said she’ll likely support Lawley’s bill, she’s also planning to bring a version that would only include intercollegiate sports.
“Mine is just a little bit more simple,” Schuler said.
When Schuler first brought legislation in 2023 to impose the ban, she originally included collegiate sports. She eased off that, however, when UW asked her to allow the National Collegiate Athletic Association to sort things out instead.
But the NCAA, “they just haven’t done that,” Schuler said. This time, Schuler hasn’t gotten approval from UW, she said, but “they didn’t try to discourage me. Let’s just put it that way.”
Private spaces
In November, the Park County School District #1 Board of Trustees voted unanimously for a resolution that calls on lawmakers to pass legislation related to restroom use, the Powell-Tribune reported.
“Due to conflicting case law and legal authority, the current legal and legislative landscape of the United States and Wyoming does not provide a clear foundation for individual school districts to set policy surrounding the issue of sex-based restroom use,” the resolution reads.
“The district will advocate in the 2025 legislative session and support the passage of legislation similar to Oklahoma Statute 70-1-125 ‘Restrooms in Public Schools’ which will clarify the issue of restroom use for all Wyoming school districts,” the resolution states.
The 2022 Oklahoma law requires restrooms or locker rooms in public schools to be designated exclusively based on biological sex.
Lawley said she’s heard Park County lawmakers are planning to bring their own legislation to account for the resolution. Meanwhile, her legislation would cast a wider net than Oklahoma’s, applying the law to not just public schools but other public buildings such as correctional facilities.
“We have all heard stories of discomfort and fear when policies aren’t clear, leaving institutions scrambling to balance privacy concerns with the risk of lawsuits,” Lawley wrote in her op-ed. “It’s time for the Legislature to act.”
As for enforcement, Lawley said her private spaces bill would give anyone legal standing in court should they sue a school district or other public entity for not complying with the law — also known as a private right of action. Similarly in Texas, a private right of action allows private individuals to sue abortion providers or anyone who “aids and abets” an abortion in a Texas court.
“Other states have used funding as a motivation, and that could be something we look at again,” Lawley said. That could prove to be complicated, however, since the state is constitutionally obligated to fully fund public education.
The Wyoming Legislature’s general session starts Jan. 14.
Reading the comments it is clear that folks are only looking at one side of this issue. What this legislation would actually do is force females who have transitioned to male into the restroom with their little girls. Do you really want your daughter in the restroom with a person who by all outward appearance is a man? Wouldn’t that be even more traumatic than being in there with someone who looks like a woman? For the record more pastors of youth groups have been charged and convicted of sexual assault than transgender women, just saying.
Haven’t those idiots got real work to do? They seem to have time to waste on an issue that has been around since the idiotic species evolved. They need to grow up and toss their idiotic “beliefs” into the trash.
Why was this article titled “anti-trans legislation…” and not “pro-female legislation…”? That’s all it is: protecting girls from biological boys. Simple.
It is hard not to be facetious when I look at what the main issue of the maga movement has become. So maybe I will try a cautionary tact. What you legislate against the rights of a trans woman can easily be used against the entirety of women`s rights.
Don`t forget who you are in bed with maga women! Incels, nazi sympths, patriarchs, and men who could never vote for a woman to be President.
You may say that losing your right to vote, or hold office could never happen, but we have thought that about many things and we have found out that the maga hive mind can smash anything, especially it seems if it is beautiful.
Preventing males pretending or wanting to be females is no reason to allow them in girls bathrooms. Even if they jsut want a peek and don’t want to show off themselves, it is an unnecessary stress for ordinary girls…or women for that matter.
The stress on the females from being peeked at or stared at by males would be greater than guys just going to a male or non designated bathroom.
Seriously Marion, do you really think that individuals that undergo all of the gender affirming treatments are doing so simply to get a “peek” at a women’s body? Let’s get real here……Women’s bathrooms all have private stalls…get it? Private….No peeking, no ogling, just individuals taking care of business, period!
You do know that laws won’t stop bad actors from doing this in the future just like nothing stops them from doing this now. These people don’t care about the law if they want to take advantage of children or women. The difference here is that the vast majority of trans people, just like the vast majority of non-trans people are actually law abiding citizens. A trans person just wants to go use the restroom and leave…just like the rest of us! The creepy people out there are the non-trans bad actors AND the creepy people looking in bathroom stalls to see if there’s a trans person in it!
What people forget is when laws like this are passed, then you’ll have trans men – using the women’s restroom (per the law) and people freaking out over that!
Cruelty is never acceptable. I have NEVER been harassed by a member of the LGBTQ community; can’t say the same about members of the heterosexual community.
Ironic that Wyoming legislators allow domestic abusers to lawfully acquire weapons but are SO focused on a non-existent threat. Embarrassing.
GOOD – Wat past time for these ridiculous 1%Trans-Gender types (many of whom are perpetually “confused”) -to be trying to rule things.
I wish legislators had something better to do with their time than harrass minorities and women. Portable toilets have been transgender forever with no problem. These people have a hard enough life without a bunch of rednecks making it worse.
Is that bill also going to legislate which side o the pickup each gender has to use to relieve themselves when they stop along the road or the parking lot at the rodeo? These are serious issues that need to be dealt with before the real problems acing Wyoming.
Transgender players might or might not be a problem in sports. Let them play for a few years to see. If a problem comes up, maybe we should have all-gender sports, with appropriate safeguards about weight differences.
Frankly, the only sports that men. women and all the theoretical “genders” should compete with each other are Chess and similar games. All else is a dream being mistaken for realitty.
Can a male that isn’t transgender participate in female sports or belong to a sorority? Until shown proof they can, why should a declared transgender person be able to violate the norm? This issue needs resolution. It’s baffling that it even exists.
What will these haters do next? Make it illegal for commercial aircraft to land in Wyoming because ANYONE is allowed to use an airliner’s bathroom? Are they going to vote to change the state’s official nickname next? Or maybe they forgot that it’s the EQUALITY STATE.
Why do the men want to use the women’s bathroom? Too stressful to be around men using a bathroom for themselves?
This state needs a great deal of work put into economics, job creation, taxes on corporations, Healthcare and putting the expanded Medicaid in place. Instead you have your elected idiots and yes you elected these idiots, focusing on things that are none of their business or yours for that matter. Creating disention and hate at every level instead of being a government for the people and future of this state they spend valuable time on draconian bills. Absolutely disgusting.
Apparently, addressing Wyoming’s actual problems requires more brain power than being mean. As it stands now, I don’t show my stuff to anyone. It’s easy to just go and leave. And, yes, I wash my hands!! Lawmakers, go address some actual Wyoming issues!!!
Can someone please explain why Republicans are absolutely obsessed with anything to do with sex?
They should also crackdown on witchcraft, unregulated Wyoming deep sea fishing and Jackalope overpopulation since they are so bent on solving problems that dont exist.
Any solution to any real issues?
This is an issue where??
Once again I find myself feeling ashamed at how bigoted and mean spirited my home state has become. Whatever happened to “live and let live”???
Kathleen. It is not being “bigoted” as you claim. These folks already have all the rights and freedoms we all do as citizens of USA. When you start putting one class of people above others. That than results in problems. They are absolutely free to use restrooms. Rest rooms are marked male/female. Just use the restroom according to your BIOLOGICAL sex marked on birth certificate. Play in correct catagory of sports. Women in Women sports. Male in male sports. Or shut all sports programs down. There problem for all solved. Nothing says my tax dollars have to fund athletics at any level.
But Larry, isn’t this exactly what they are proposing…putting one group of individuals rights above another’s? It wasn’t that long ago that the USA had segregated schools, people of color had to use their “own” facilities, and so on. I had hoped that we had become better educated and more tolerant of all people. This whole legislative direction is just plain wrong. These subjects are so not within their realm of duties/responsibilties to govern the great state of Wyoming to benefit all.
No bj. That segregation was much different than this. This is about males claiming to be women compete with and against women. Also about using restrooms of your birth sex. Bj. Answer honestly now. Would you want your 16-17 year old daughter dressing for game in same locker room as intact young male? Your wife sharing dressing room at gym or golf club with intact males? Answer honestly now
You asked, and my answer is this…..it is not my decision to make, nor is it yours. That decision lies with the individual faced with what ever they may or may not find uncomfortable. We can not go thru life insinuating our views into other people lives. They should be capable of making decisions that will affect them personally, and if they are not capable, then it is our fault for never allowing them the freedom to have choices. Generations of modest women have learned how to dress and undress within locker rooms without making a big deal of it.
With all the real and actual needs of the towns and people of this state, our MAGAT legislature is more concerned about where trans people go pee pee.
LEAVE TRANS PEOPLE ALONE!!!
Move along! Fix our streets. Improve our higher education systems. Encourage more investment in business. Support our First Peoples! Get a real agenda!
“ The second measure would prohibit transgender girls and women from using women’s public bathrooms, locker rooms, showers and correctional facilities.” Correctional facilities? This could open up a can of worms. Think about it.
Having lived in different parts of Wyoming for twenty years, it seems to me that the legislature should have more issues than transgender rights and wrongs on the table. The economy which can no longer depend on coal, for instance. The torture of wolves in bars and it’s effect on the tourist industry…. Hey, why not get rid of undocumented migrants like your hero, Donald Trump, wants you to do. .Also when this mean -spirited MAGA bill passes, teams and states that have a different take on transgender issues should simply refuse to play Wyoming, whether or not a transgendered person is on their own team . As for the restrooms, how about a monitor stationed outside who will ask everyone who wants to enter to show their whattsis ?
Defending Women’s rights.
I’m with Ms. Provenza as there are actual serious problems needing immediate attention like affordable housing. The ‘freedom’ caucus continues to create unnecessary chaos and fear instead of becoming better educated and accepting of others they don’t understand. I used an all gender bathroom yesterday and didn’t care who was in the next stall. As a sign going around on the internet says, ‘whatever, just wash your hands’.
Good – hope they stay on it. Ridiculous that 1% wants t rule ?
It’s called mind your own business. Leave people alone. Not one Trans person or LGBTQ person harmed you or anyone. Your myopic focus of hate is repulsive
Sheryl. We straighten folks have rights as well. So when you talk about mind your own business. That goes 2 ways. As far as harmed by one they eating up my tax money with this BS. It really them shoving their claims on us. But really are you comfortable with males showering with your young daughter or granddaughter in sports team shower? Seriously now. Honest answer.
Larry, it’s the politicians that are eating up your tax $$$$. Put the blame squarely where it belongs. Most people just want to be left alone, to live their lives in peace and that means everyone…straight, gay, bi, trans, whatever. So talk with your representative, cause they are the ones spending your tax dollars on perceived problems!