Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened a tip line for people to submit evidence documenting suspected violations of the state’s new bathroom law, which restricts what restrooms transgender people can use in schools and government buildings.
A new online complaint form asks people to provide photographs and descriptions of potential offenses. Texas state law prohibits photography and videography in public restrooms and changing facilities.
Texas’ “bathroom bill” prohibits transgender people from using a bathroom or locker room that does not align with their sex at birth in schools and government offices. Any government agency or public institution, such as a school or university, that violates the policy would be fined $25,000 for the first offense and $125,000 for a second. It is the most punitive bathroom law in the country.
Republican lawmakers passed the bill earlier this year after numerous failed attempts over the past decade. Senate Bill 8, known as the Texas Women’s Privacy Act, tasks Paxton’s office with investigating complaints. In a statement, the attorney general said the law protects women and girls from “mentally ill men.”
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“Together, we will uproot and bring justice to any state agency or political subdivision that opens the door for men to violate women’s privacy, dignity, and safety,” he said.
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The form requires the name and contact information of the complainant, date, location and a description of the violation. It requires evidence of the violation and provides an option to submit photographs or other documents. Complainants must also indicate whether they are willing to testify and sign an affidavit.
Paxton’s office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday from The Dallas Morning News about the form’s discrepancy with state law forbidding photography and videography in bathrooms.
Brian Klosterboer, senior staff attorney for ACLU of Texas, said in a statement the bathroom law does not allow for citizen enforcement.
“The ‘tip line’ wrongly encourages Texans to violate each other’s privacy in bathrooms,” Klosterboer said. “The Attorney General has tried for years to vilify and dehumanize transgender Texans, but he can’t strip away every person’s right to privacy and right to live our lives free from gender stereotyping.”
Supporters have said the bathroom bill is needed to protect the privacy and safety of women and girls. Opponents point out that multiple studies have found no evidence that transgender people pose a safety risk in bathrooms. Research has shown transgender teenagers face a higher risk of sexual assault in schools that prevent them from using bathrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.
Critics also worried the law would cause widespread confusion and “bathroom vigilantes,” even in facilities outside government buildings. Johnathan Gooch, spokesman for Equality Texas, said the organization has already received reports of people mistakenly enforcing the law in private businesses.
“With this escalation in anti-transgender rhetoric we are seeing more instances of discrimination and harassment,” Gooch said.
Lawmakers in Texas have passed a host of laws restricting transgender rights. In recent years, Texas banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, prohibited transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that do not align with their birth sex and barred student clubs based on gender identity.