Florida’s private colleges and universities must comply with rule requiring people to use bathrooms aligning with their sex assigned at birth

By Carlos Suarez and Denise Royal, CNN

(CNN) — Private colleges and universities in Florida must now comply with a rule requiring students and faculty to use bathroom and changing facilities aligned with their sex assigned at birth.

The Florida Board of Education voted Wednesday to expand the rule – already in effect at the state’s K-12 public schools, prisons and some state colleges – to private postsecondary education institutions.

The restriction has been in effect for government buildings statewide since July 1 under a statute signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis prohibiting transgender people from using a bathroom or changing facility matching their gender identity. The law requires buildings to designate such facilities for “exclusive use” by males or females and provide a separate single-occupancy, unisex restroom or changing room.

The restrictions also apply to college-run student housing.

The bathroom restriction law is one of several pieces of legislation signed by DeSantis in May restricting LGBTQ lives and spaces, including gender-affirming treatments for minors, drag shows, and which pronouns can be used in schools. LGBTQ advocates have slammed the statutes as an effort to erase them from Florida schools and society.

Emma Roy, a community organizer and a parent, spoke during the board’s meeting on Wednesday and said the law’s requirement for institutions to have a single unisex restroom is often not sufficient.

“Right now, in the public schools at least, the unisex restroom is the teacher’s restroom. So we have a situation whereby all the nonbinary and transgender (people) and the teachers all line up for this unisex bathroom. They need more than one bathroom,” Roy said.

Yvette Benarroch, chair of the conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty in Collier County, spoke in support of the rule, saying the restriction “isn’t about discrimination.”

“It’s about safety and clarity. It provides a clear framework for institutions to follow, alleviating confusion for both students and staff,” Benarroch said.

Private college and universities are required to submit documents showing compliance with the law by April 1, 2024.

The rule does not yet apply to Florida’s state universities like University of Florida, Florida State University and University of Central Florida. A similar expansion is set to be approved for those schools next month by the Florida Board of Governors.

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