An initiative requiring people to use public restrooms and locker rooms according to the gender designated on their birth certificate fell far short of the support needed to qualify for the November general election.
In Montana, supporters of Initiative 183, dubbed the “Montana Locker Room Privacy Act”, appear to have gathered only 8,079 of the 25,468 signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot. The deadline to submit the signatures was June 20, then verification would last until July 20 and then send them on to Montana’s Secretary of State Office. Looks like those final steps will not need to happen. To that we say, "YES!"
Non-Discrimination Ordinances (NDO) have failed in Montana in recent years, for example, in the state's largest city, Billings. The failure was attributed largely because of the efforts of the Montana Family Foundation,the sponsor of Initiative 183.
The bathroom debate in Montana and other states has been going on for a few years now. A law similar to the initiative failed in the 2017 Montana Legislature, as well. Opponents countered that the Montana Family Foundation's concerns were absurd and that the initiative threatened the civil rights of transgender people.
For more on this story, head over to billingsgazette.com.