Texas Senate Bill 8 (2025)

Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), also known as the Texas Women's Privacy Act, is a 2025 law in the state of Texas that prohibits people from using public bathrooms that differ from their sex assigned at birth.^[1][2] It passed the Texas Legislature during a special session on September 3, 2025, ^[2] and was signed by Governor Greg Abbott on September 22. The law went into effect on December 4, 2025.^[3][4][5]

It is commonly referred to as a bathroom bill due to the effects it has transgender and intersex people in the state, who prefer to use facilities that align with their gender identity.^[6][7] As of September 2025, it is the most severe passed bathroom bill in the United States in terms of penalties.^[8]

Texas has a history of attempting to pass bills targeting bathroom access, though Senate Bill 8 was the first successful one.^[9] Six different bathroom bills have passed the Texas Senate since 2017, though none made it through the Texas House of Representatives.^[10] The first bill was introduced in 2015.^[11] A bathroom bill was passed in Odessa in 2024.^[12]

In June 2025, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 229, which modifies the definition of sex, gender, and related terms in state law.^[13] That law took effect on September 1, 2025.^[14]

Senate Bill 8 restricts access to bathrooms and locker rooms in government facilities, K-12 schools and universities by tying it to sex assigned at birth.^[7] Transgender prisoners are also prohibited from being switched to a prison that aligns with their gender identity.^[7]

Any facility which violates the provisions set out in Senate Bill 8 are fined $25,000 the first time and $125,000 for any subsequent violations, which are counted daily.^[15] Reports from private citizens are handled by the Texas Attorney General's office.^[13] The fines were quintupled in an amendment to the bill before passage, as the fines were previously $5,000 and $25,000.^[16]

On December 17, 2025, the office of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton launched a tip line and complaint form for the public to report suspected violations of the law.^[17]

The ACLU of Texas publicly opposed Senate Bill 8, saying it endangered the health and safety of LGBTQ+ Texans.^[18] The Human Rights Campaign also opposed Senate Bill 8.^[19] A protest occurred outside the Texas Legislature after its passage.^[13]

After the law went into effect in December 2025, a protest was held at the Texas Capitol on December 6.^[20] Four of the trans women protesting were issued criminal trespass warnings and banned from entering the Capitol for one year.^[21]

The following week, the Austin City Council passed a resolution to help replace multi-occupancy restrooms with single-person restrooms, in support of trans and nonbinary residents affected by SB 8.^[20][22]

• Bathroom bill
• LGBTQ rights in Texas