Shockingly, an old white man has signed a transgender bathroom ban for students into law

Identity politics definitely has its limits, especially when it’s being discussed on the internet, where all nuance goes to die. After all, old white men get the brunt of the blame for the dumpster fire that is the state of the world right now, but Bernie Sanders is in that demographic, and he seems like a good dude. The only problem is, he’s a rarity. And this sad fact has once again been borne out by the man who signed Ohio’s new trans bathroom ban into law, casting a big blow to transgender rights in the state.

Governer Mike DeWine signed the ban earlier today, as per ABC. DeWine, who was in charge of the state while several of his Republican colleagues funnelled millions into their own pockets through corrupt means, hasn’t been the biggest proponent of this aspect of the right’s culture war so far, having vetoed a bill in 2023 that would have banned trans youth healthcare.

In fact, in the past, DeWine struck a more conciliatory tone on this topic than his rabid Republican colleagues. At least he doesn’t seem to believe that accepting trans people exist is more dangerous to kids than nominating a child trafficker for one of the most important legal positions in the country. Which makes this all the more disappointing.

While he declined to comment on today’s bill, DeWine has previously said he needed to look at the “specific language” in the law, adding: “I’m for people, kids, to be able to go to the bathroom with the gender assignment so that they have that protection, but I’ll have to look at the specific language.”

Those do seem like weasel words right now, as the law explicitly states that all students in Ohio K-12 schools, and colleges/universities, must use the restroom that aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. The law does allow that schools and colleges can build single-occupancy bathrooms, and that those of opposite genders can enter a bathroom that doesn’t align with their birth-assigned gender to help someone else out. However, this will come as scant consolation to trans students who will now feel further ostracized.

As per a comprehensive study done by UCLA, there is no evidence that allowing trans people to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity increases safety risks. Additionally, the blurring of gender identities has a history that goes back further than Christianity, belying Republican claims that this is a new and scary development in our culture.

Demonizing a minority group to distract from policy failures has long been a tactic of the right, and now sadly it is trans people who are under fire. Despite making up a tiny percent of the population, and being more likely to be a victim of violent crime than cis folk, they continue to draw the ire of the increasingly extreme right. A sad state of affairs to be sure, but at least there’s no historic lessons to be learned here, right guys?