Bathroom Sex Bill Flushed Out Of Committee To Floor

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 08/27/2025) Transgender students would be required to use the school bathroom of their biological sex as written on their original birth certificate under legislation that moved out of a House committee along party lines Wednesday morning.

Called the “Student Restroom Privacy Act,” Rep. Joseph Fox (R-Fremont)'s HB 4024 creates exceptions for those who need medical assistance or who are cleaning the toilets and sinks. Otherwise, “boys use boys bathrooms and girls use girls bathrooms,” Fox said.

“While this principle may seem straightforward, it is becoming less and less self-evident not just among young people, but also among leaders in Lansing,” Fox said. “At the end of the day, this is a safety issue.”

Democrats attempted to poke holes in the bill. Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. (D-Ypsilanti) asked Fox if he or Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) or House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Nancy DeBoer (R-Holland) was going to enforce the law. Fox said no.

Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) asked why private schools weren't included in the bill. Fox said the Legislature is responsible for public oversight of public institutions.

Rep. Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park) asked about the fiscal impact to school districts. Fox said he didn't see how it was going to be an “exorbitant cost for schools."

Rep. Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn) asked if the bill, if signed into law, would hold up in court. Fox conceded that he hadn't put much thought into that subject.

Republicans got their chance to badger the other side when the ACLU's Kyle Zawacki came up to testify against the bill, arguing that it discriminates against the rights of transgender kids and likely wouldn't hold up in court.

Rep. Brad Paquette (R-Niles) and Zawacki managed to talk past the other as Paquette made the argument that someone's biological sex can't be changed and Zawacki arguing the bathroom use should be dictated by someone's gender identity.

“Just to pierce through it all – a boy, is a male, going into the boys bathroom for males is what this bill upholds,” Paquette said.

“I would say a transgender boy is a boy and a transgender girl is a girl. Yes, I would agree with that,” Zawacki said.

“Again, that's anti-science, right? You can't change your gametes,” Paquette replied.

“I'm not going to talk about anti-science,” Zawacki responded.

The bill was moved to the floor on a party-line, 7-4 vote.

After the vote, Progress Michigan Executive Director Sam Inglot called the bathroom bill "a cruel distraction from the real challenges our public schools are facing . . . "This dangerous and discriminatory bill would open the door to invasive policing of children’s bodies, with devastating consequences for student safety and dignity.”

In related news, Paquette made an appearance Wednesday on the Ben Shapiro Show during which he said he planned to subpoena hospitals to gather data on the use of puberty blockers on minors. He said the hospitals will give him statistics on knee replacements and other procedures but will not give him information on puberty blockers.

During the interview, Paquette expressed concerns about gender theory being integrated into sex education and culture, arguing that it teaches young people they are “born wrong.” He criticized the American Medical Association for not having enough evidence-based medicine regarding transgender issues.

After speaking with AMA President Bobby Mukkamela on gender-affirming care, Paquette said he walked away feeling Mukkamela “was just completely removed from any type of real understanding of evidence-based medicine in this regard.”