Governor Kelly Armstrong has signed House Bill 1144, strengthening North Dakota’s 2023 law that prevents transgender students from using bathrooms aligning with their gender identity. The new legislation prohibits K-12 public schools from having all-gender bathrooms and creates enforcement mechanisms, allowing parents to file complaints if they believe schools aren’t complying. Schools found violating the law face fines up to $2,500 per violation. The bill requires multi-stall bathrooms to be designated exclusively for boys or girls, with exemptions for facilities built before July 1, 2025, accommodations for students with developmental disabilities, and temporary sex designation changes for school events. Armstrong also signed House Bill 1181, which legally defines gender references as meaning biological sex, aligning with President Trump’s January executive order establishing a two-gender policy for federal government. Supporters call these “common sense” measures, while critics view them as discriminatory against transgender and intersex North Dakotans.
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