- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill amends California's anti-discrimination law regarding sex and gender in intimate spaces. It would restrict access to bathrooms, locker rooms, and similar facilities based on sex or gender identity.
Law Today
California's Unruh Civil Rights Act currently prohibits discrimination in business establishments based on sex, race, color, religion, and other characteristics, defining 'sex' to include gender identity and gender expression. Businesses must provide equal accommodations regardless of these characteristics.
If Passed
The bill redefines 'sex' to mean immutable biological sex (female or male) based on reproductive anatomy, and requires that bathrooms, showers, changing rooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and other intimate spaces in businesses be separated by biological sex rather than gender identity or expression. Single-occupancy bathrooms may be gender neutral. This means Christian families and other patrons would use facilities designated by biological sex, not by a person's stated gender identity.
AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.
Should I support this?
- Strongly Oppose
- Likely Oppose
- Neutral
- This billLikely Support
- Strongly Support
Likely Support
The bill protects privacy and safety in intimate spaces by ensuring separation based on biological sex, which aligns with parental concerns for their children's safety and modesty and reflects Christian teachings on sexuality and the body. It reaffirms that sex is a meaningful, fixed biological reality in law, rather than subordinating it to subjective gender identity in contexts where privacy and safety matter most to families.
AI assessment using F3’s editorial criteria — faith, family, and freedom. This is F3’s policy judgment; verify the provisions in the official bill text.
Likely supporters & opponents
Likely support
- Religious-liberty and parental-rights organizations — Parents have the right to ensure their children's safety and privacy in intimate spaces and to maintain sex-separated facilities aligned with biblical and traditional understandings of sex.
- Women's-rights and safety-advocacy groups — Biological women and girls deserve privacy and safety in intimate spaces without concern for intrusion by individuals with male biology.
- Conservative family organizations — Protecting sex-separated spaces upholds traditional values and safeguards vulnerable populations, especially children, in settings where they are undressed or vulnerable.
Likely opposition
- LGBTQ+-rights and civil-liberties organizations — The bill discriminates against transgender and nonbinary individuals by denying them access to facilities matching their gender identity, causing dignity harm and exclusion.
- Medical and mental-health associations — The bill contradicts established medical consensus that gender identity is real and that access to affirming facilities supports mental health and reduces discrimination-related harm.
- Business and hospitality associations — The bill creates legal liability and operational complexity by mandating sex-separation and defining sex in a way that may conflict with some employees' identities and prior non-discrimination policies.
AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.
Official summary
An act to amend Section 51 of the Civil Code, relating to discrimination.
Sponsors
- Leticia Castillo (R)
Status timeline
- 2026-02-18From printer. May be heard in committee March 20.A
- 2026-02-17Read first time. To print.A
H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly