Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the Women's Safety and Protection Act, mandating birth-sex facility designation in schools, prisons, and shelters
On June 3, 2024, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed HB608, the "Women's Safety and Protection Act," into law as Act 436, defining "sex" in state law strictly as biological sex "as observed or clinically verified at birth" and specifying that gender identity does not apply across all state law and agency rules. The act requires public schools, correctional and juvenile-detention facilities, and domestic-violence shelters to designate multi-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters by biological sex, and creates a private cause of action against non-complying facilities. It passed the House 80-17 and the Senate 29-10 and took effect August 1, 2024.
Actors
On June 3, 2024, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed House Bill 608, the "Women's Safety and Protection Act," by Rep. Roger Wilder III, into law as Act 436. The enrolled act defines "sex" in state law strictly by biology "as observed or clinically verified at birth," specifying that "gender identity and other subjective terms shall not apply" as synonyms for sex (R.S. 9:58(14)), and applies that definition across all state law and agency rules (R.S. 9:59).
The law requires public schools, correctional facilities, juvenile-detention facilities, and domestic-violence shelters to designate multi-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters by biological sex, barring transgender people from facilities matching their gender identity (R.S. 9:62-63), and creates a private cause of action allowing individuals to sue non-complying facilities. It passed the House 80-17 and the Senate 29-10 and took effect August 1, 2024.
The act defines sex by birth status across public institutions, ending state recognition of transgender residents' gender identity in the sex-segregated settings the state regulates and controls.
Why we recorded this
Equal treatment under the law means the government does not strip a group of legal recognition because of who they are. Louisiana's Women's Safety and Protection Act defines "sex" throughout state law as biological sex observed or clinically verified at birth, declares that gender identity does not apply, and requires public schools, prisons, juvenile-detention facilities, and domestic-violence shelters to designate restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters by birth sex. This records a state ending legal recognition of transgender people's identity across the institutions it controls and backing exclusion with a private right to sue non-complying facilities.
Sources
- HB608 (2024 Regular Session) — Act 436 enrolled text, digests, and votes — Louisiana State Legislature primary accessed July 15, 2026
- Governor Landry Signs Women's Safety and Protection Act Into Law — Office of Gov. Jeff Landry primary accessed July 15, 2026
- Jeff Landry signs controversial 'bathroom bill' into law — NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune secondary accessed July 15, 2026
See also
- Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the 'Given Name Act' restricting school use of students' chosen names and pronouns
- Louisiana Gov. Landry signed Act 579 barring employers from requiring use of pronouns inconsistent with a person's sex
- Louisiana Gov. Landry signed Act 814 replacing 'gender' with 'sex' throughout state law and defining sex as binary and biological
- Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed HB122, barring K-12 teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with students
- Iowa Gov. Reynolds signed SF2435 banning DEI offices at public universities
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