Idaho Gov. Little signed HB 270 expanding the indecent-exposure law in a change advocates say targets transgender people

On March 26, 2025, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 270 into law, enacting it immediately as Session Law Chapter 173. The bill amended Idaho's indecent-exposure statute to broaden the definition of prohibited exposure — including exposure of the female breast — and to widen the circumstances under which a person could be charged. LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, including the ACLU of Idaho, identified the change as targeting transgender people, and particularly transgender women, by exposing ordinary conduct to criminal liability on the basis of gender identity.

HB 270 moved through the Idaho Legislature during the 2025 session, clearing the House on a 59-8 vote and the Senate 28-6 before reaching the governor's desk. It formed part of a broader slate of anti-LGBTQ+ measures advanced in Idaho that year, and took effect on signing rather than after the usual delay, placing the expanded criminal-exposure standard into force immediately. Because indecent exposure is a criminal offense, the statutory change carried the prospect of arrest and prosecution for conduct newly brought within the law's reach.

Idaho's HB 270 belongs to a wave of state legislation enacted in 2025 that narrowed the legal position of transgender residents across public accommodations, health coverage, and education. Advocates warned that the broadened exposure definition could be applied disproportionately against transgender people using public facilities consistent with their gender identity, converting everyday activity into a basis for criminal enforcement.