HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Starting Dec. 4, a new state law goes into effect restricting how people can use bathrooms in state-owned facilities.
It’s commonly called the “bathroom bill,” and requires people to use bathrooms that correspond to their sex at birth.
“I’m trans in Texas, so I live with it every day, knowing I can be possibly harassed wherever I go,” Ethan Michelle Ganz said.
Ganz is non-binary.
They were born female, but currently, usually use restrooms reserved for men.
“I think just compliance will show people how silly it is,” Ganz said. “How are you trying to keep men out of women’s restrooms when you’re literally putting men in women’s restrooms?”
This law is officially titled the Texas Women’s Privacy Act.
It sets sex-based restrictions on restrooms and changing rooms in public buildings, schools, and universities.
The law doesn’t apply to private institutions.
There are still questions over enforcement.
ABC13 reached out to multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department.
We have yet to receive any information on how this new law will be enforced.
“I don’t think we will be putting people at the stalls monitoring what’s under people’s skirts and pants,” Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor with South Texas College of Law, said.
The law doesn’t penalize individuals.
Instead, it allows people to file complaints against institutions, which are then investigated by the attorney general.
Institutions can then be fined up to $125,000 a day for violations.
The bill’s author, State Sen. Mayes Middleton, didn’t respond to our questions, but has said the new law is about safety.
“We have got to get this bill done for all the daughters of this great state,” he said during a press conference on Aug. 4.
“Some laws are meant to be enforced. Other laws are meant to send a signal or send a message,” Blackman said. “I think this is largely messaging legislation that the state of Texas doesn’t approve of transgender ideology.”
Houstonians like Ethan believe the confusion surrounding the new law is intentional.
With vague laws, they say, comes harassment.
“For them to put this much effort into trying to get rid of us and eradicate us, make us invisible, to where we can’t participate in society. The amount of effort they’ve put into doing that for such a small portion of the population just shows how much hope there is,” Ganz said.
For more on this story, follow Pooja Lodhia on Facebook,X and Instagram.
Copyright © 2025 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.