Louisiana Gov. Landry signed Act 814 replacing 'gender' with 'sex' throughout state law and defining sex as binary and biological
On June 8, 2026, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed HB578, the "Restoring Biological Truth Act," into law as Act No. 814, replacing references to "gender" with "sex" throughout Louisiana statute and defining sex as a binary, immutable biological characteristic. The law, authored by Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Pineville) and modeled on President Trump's federal executive order of the same name, provides that "gender identity and other subjective terms shall not be used as synonyms or substitutes for sex." Critics said the measure erases transgender and nonbinary people from state law and strips their legal recognition; the act takes effect August 1, 2026.
Actors
On June 8, 2026, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 578, the "Restoring Biological Truth Act," into law as Act No. 814. The law replaces references to "gender" with "sex" throughout the Louisiana Revised Statutes and provides that sex is a binary, immutable biological characteristic, further specifying that "gender identity and other subjective terms shall not be used as synonyms or substitutes for sex."
The measure was authored by Rep. Mike Johnson, a Republican from Pineville, and was modeled on a federal executive order of the same name signed by President Trump. It passed the Louisiana House on April 28, 2026, by a vote of 74 to 21 and the Senate on May 21, 2026, by a vote of 27 to 8 before Landry signed it. The act takes effect August 1, 2026.
Civil-rights advocates and LGBTQ organizations said the law erases transgender and nonbinary people from Louisiana statute by removing the statutory language through which their gender identity had been recognized, and that defining sex on a strictly binary basis strips legal recognition from residents whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.
Why we recorded this
Equal protection principles prohibit a state from singling out a class of people for exclusion from legal recognition based on who they are. Louisiana's Act 814 replaces "gender" with "sex" throughout state statute and bars gender identity from being used as a legal substitute for sex, removing the statutory language through which transgender and nonbinary residents had been recognized. This archive records when a government writes an entire group out of its laws, narrowing whom the state is willing to recognize.
Sources
- Louisiana HB578 (2026) — Restoring Biological Truth Act, Act No. 814 — LegiScan primary accessed July 10, 2026
- Lawmakers approve removing 'gender' from all Louisiana state laws — Louisiana Illuminator investigative accessed July 10, 2026
- A Trump-Inspired Louisiana Bill Would 'Erase Trans People From Law' — Them (via Yahoo News) secondary accessed July 10, 2026
See also
- Louisiana Gov. Landry signed Act 579 barring employers from requiring use of pronouns inconsistent with a person's sex
- Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the Women's Safety and Protection Act, mandating birth-sex facility designation in schools, prisons, and shelters
- Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the 'Given Name Act' restricting school use of students' chosen names and pronouns
- Oklahoma Gov. Stitt signed SB904 barring Medicaid and public funds for gender-transition procedures
- South Carolina enacted a law barring transgender students from school restrooms matching their gender identity
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