Tennessee gov signs transgender ‘bathroom bill’ for schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee’s Republican governor has signed legislation putting public schools and districts at risk of losing civil lawsuits if they let transgender students or employees use multi-person bathrooms that do not reflect their gender at birth.

Governor Bill Lee signed the bill Friday, cementing another policy into law in Tennessee that LGBTQ advocates say discriminates against their community. Similar proposals have advanced in other Republican-led statehouses across the country.

The Tennessee bill requires schools to try to offer a single-occupancy or employee facility for anyone who wants more privacy, but it specifically bars letting transgender people use multi-person facilities that don’t align with their sex at birth.