Puerto Rico enacted a law barring transgender people from government restrooms matching their gender identity

On February 25, 2026, Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón signed House Bill 165, the "Public Government Restroom Facilities Regulation Act," into law as Law 26-2026. The measure requires that multi-occupancy restrooms in government buildings — including the University of Puerto Rico and other public properties — be designated for use according to sex assigned at birth, and it prohibits government entities from designating any restroom as inclusive, mixed, or gender-neutral. It passed the House 37-11 and the Senate 21-5.

The law bars transgender and nonbinary people from using government restrooms that match their gender identity and imposes administrative fines of up to $15,000 per violation, with revenue directed to the Center for Assistance to Victims of Rape. Puerto Rico thereby became the first U.S. territory to enact a transgender bathroom ban.

By using its control over public facilities to exclude residents from spaces matching their gender identity, the territory singled out transgender and nonbinary people for adverse treatment through formal policy. It is a distinct government action within a broader wave of anti-transgender measures the archive tracks at the state, territorial, and federal levels.