Bathroom bill

by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, HD39, Billings

Women deserve respect, earn admiration, and expect that the government will hear them, will listen to them, and will protect them in the spaces where they are most vulnerable. That’s why I introduced HB 121 to guarantee that in Montana, women and children can safely enter a restroom, changing room, overnight sleeping quarters at public facilities, women’s shelters, and correctional institutions. That means that the government cannot force biological women and girls to unwillingly share their private spaces with biological men. Here in Montana, the Legislature has attempted to make this crystal clear in previous sessions. Yet an activist Supreme Court continues to thwart the will of the people at every turn. So here we are again, trying to pass a law to protect something very basic: the safety and dignity of Montana women.   

The Obama and Biden Administrations tried to rewrite the definition of women to further a harmful political agenda. Fortunately in Montana, we know what – and who – women are. We know that women do tough things, all while raising a family. But we also know that over half of incarcerated women are survivors of sexual assault or abuse and often women seeking shelter are survivors of domestic violence. All women deserve to know that no matter the situation they have value and dignity.  

HB121 reinforces the basic reality that men and women are biologically different. I will continue to fight for Montana’s women and children.