A transgender advocacy group has created a crowdsourced map of trans-friendly bathrooms in Idaho to help residents find facilities they can use safely.
State lawmakers recently passed a law prohibiting people from entering bathrooms that don’t align with their assigned sex at birth. The law, which took effect earlier this month, applies to government-owned buildings and private businesses open to the public, including gas stations, restaurants, entertainment venues, and hospitals.
A first violation of the law — which opponents have dubbed a “bathroom ban” — is punishable by up to one year in prison. A second or third violation could carry up to five years, or potentially life in prison if prosecutors invoke the state’s “persistent violator” statute.
But last month, a judge granted a partial preliminary injunction in response to a lawsuit filed by six transgender Idahoans. For now, trans people may use single-user restrooms consistent with their gender identity in government-owned buildings and public accommodations, including private businesses. They may also use multi-user restrooms when a single-user restroom is unavailable or occupied.
The injunction applies only to bathrooms, meaning anyone who enters a changing room that does not align with their assigned sex at birth can still be prosecuted under the law.
In response, the nonprofit Trans Affirm has released an online map identifying bathrooms considered safe for transgender and gender-diverse Idahoans. It primarily lists gender-neutral, private bathrooms and incorporates community feedback to help users avoid prosecution. The map identifies trans-affirming businesses, organizations, and public spaces, as well as locations community members have flagged as non-inclusive, inaccessible, or potentially dangerous.
“It is already a confusing law as it is,” Trans Affirm board member Scar Rulien told the Idaho Capital Sun. “And it can be scary for transgender people, who identify as one gender, to use the bathroom that is of the gender that they don’t identify as. Especially if they are actively transitioning and look like the gender that they identify as, it can pose a risk to their safety.”
For now, Rulien advises trans people to use gender-neutral bathrooms for their safety “if they feel most comfortable with it.”
It remains unclear how police will enforce the portions not covered by the injunction. The Idaho Fraternal Order of Police and the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association opposed the measure, arguing there is no practical way to verify a person’s sex at birth during a field contact without “invasive and inappropriate” questioning or searches.
“The Idaho Safe Bathroom List was created because our communities need practical tools, not just conversations,” Trans Affirm wrote on its website promoting the map. “We wanted to build a resource made by Idahoans, for Idahoans, that increases access to information, strengthens community knowledge sharing, and helps people feel more prepared when moving through public spaces.
“At Trans Affirm, we believe community care matters. There is not always an institution, policy, or system stepping in to reduce harm in moments like these,” the group continued. “There isn’t anyone who will swoop in and save us from bigotry and anti trans legislation. We have to be here for our communities. And this is how we can.”
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), who is running for the U.S. Senate, was booed by spectators when a contingent representing his office marched in the Boston Pride Parade on June 6, according to videos posted on social media.
Moulton, 47, has mounted a primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, 79, a fellow Massachusetts Democrat and longtime LGBTQ ally -- a bid that, a decade ago, might have been dismissed as a fool's errand.
However, concerns about Markey's age and whether he may decline physically or mentally while in office have made the race appear more competitive than many expected, reflecting broader unease among some Democrats about older politicians serving in elected office.
Russian television viewers have noticed that a well-known episode of SpongeBob SquarePants was altered to remove a rainbow, apparently as part of the country's sweeping censorship of media and symbols deemed pro-LGBTQ.
According to independent news outlet ASTRA, the Russian television channel 2x2 replaced the rainbow with a solid yellow arc in a scene where SpongeBob waves his arms while talking about the fun of using one's imagination.
The clip of SpongeBob waving his arms to reveal the rainbow has circulated for years as a popular social media meme. Although the scene has nothing to do with LGBTQ identity, there has long been speculation that SpongeBob and his friend Patrick "code" as a gay couple, which may have contributed to the decision to erase the rainbow.
Minneapolis has repealed its nearly four-decade ban on gay bathhouses after the City Council voted 9-2 to approve two technical amendments to the city code effectively repealing the prohibition on bathhouses and adult sex venues.
The original ban was imposed in 1988 as part of an effort to curb the spread of HIV and reduce the number of AIDS cases, which had surged among men who have sex with men.
But in recent years, advocates have urged city leaders to repeal the 1988 ordinance, arguing that advances in HIV prevention have made it easier to protect people from contracting the virus.
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