Ohio Senate Bill 104

Protect All Students Act
135th Ohio General Assembly
Long title To amend sections 3302.03, 3314.03, 3326.11, 3365.03, 3365.04, 3365.05, 3365.11, and 3365.15 and to enact sections 3319.90, 3345.90, and 3365.14 of the Revised Code regarding the College Credit Plus Program and to enact the Protect All Students Act regarding single-sex bathroom access in primary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education.
Citation
Territorial extent	Ohio
Passed by	Ohio Senate
Passed	February 28, 2024
Passed by	Ohio House of Representatives
Passed	June 26, 2024
Signed by	Mike DeWine
Signed	November 27, 2024
Effective	February 25, 2025
Legislative history
First chamber: Ohio Senate
Introduced	April 5, 2023
Third reading	February 28, 2024
Voting summary	32 voted for None voted against
Second chamber: Ohio House of Representatives
Received from the Ohio Senate	March 4, 2024
Third reading	June 26, 2024
Voting summary	60 voted for 31 voted against
Final stages
Finally passed both chambers	November 13, 2024
Summary
Modifies the College Credit Plus program and restricts access to school bathrooms and locker rooms to that of sex, with exceptions.
Status: In force

Ohio Senate Bill 104 (S.B. 104), also known as the Protect All Students Act, is a 2024 law in the state of Ohio that restricts access to bathrooms and locker rooms in schools to that of sex assigned at birth. ^[1] It was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine on November 27, 2024 and took effect on February 25, 2025. ^{[2] [3]}

The bill previously only encompassed a change to the College Credit Plus program, but the House of Representatives merged House Bill 183, the bathroom bill, into Senate Bill 104. ^[4]

Provisions

Senate Bill 104 restricts people in Ohio schools, including K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, from using bathrooms and locker rooms that differ from their sex assigned at birth. ^{[2] [4]} People assisting children under 10 years old, those with disabilities, or those whose job requires access to all bathrooms are exempt from the law. ^[2] The bill still allows schools to have unisex bathrooms if they are single occupancy. ^[4]

To allow enforcement of the law, Senate Bill 104 also defines certain terms, such as biological sex, in state law. It defines biological sex as, "the biological indication of male and female, including sex chromosomes, naturally occurring sex hormones, gonads, and nonambiguous internal and external genitalia present at birth." ^[5]

Senate Bill 104 also modifies the College Credit Plus program, which allows students grades 7-12 to earn both college and high school credits at the same time. ^{[6] [4] [7]}

Reactions

Support

The Center for Christian Virtue publicly supported Senate Bill 104. ^[8]

Opposition

Stonewall Columbus opposed Senate Bill 104, saying that it would promote stigma and discrimination against nonbinary and transgender students. ^[3] Other civil rights organizations, including the ACLU of Ohio, Equality Ohio, and TransOhio, also released statements in opposition to Senate Bill 104. ^{[9] [8] [10]}

See also

• Bathroom bill
• LGBTQ rights in Ohio

References

1. "Senate Bill 104 | 135th General Assembly". Ohio Legislature. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
2. Schwanemann, Kaitlyn (2024-11-27). "Ohio governor signs bill restricting trans students' school bathroom use". NBC News. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
3. Perkins, Samaree (2025-02-19). "Ohio Senate Bill 104 dictates who can use what bathroom". The Chimes. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
4. Henry, Megan (2024-11-14). "Ohio transgender bathroom ban bill heads to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk". Ohio Capital Journal. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
5. Hughes, Joshua (2024-12-10). "Ohio Governor Signs 'Bathroom Bill' Into Law, Impacting K-12 Schools and Higher Education Institutions in the State". Ogletree Deakins. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
6. "Legislature Passes Brenner, Cirino Bill Increasing Access to College, Protecting Students". Ohio Senate. 2024-11-14. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
7. Hawrot, Lisa (2024-12-13). "Ohio Passes the Protect All Students Act". JD Supra. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
8. Tsui, Karina (2024-11-14). "Bill restricting school bathroom use by transgender students passes Ohio Senate, awaits governor's signature". CNN. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
9. Comeriato, H.L. (2024-11-27). "Ohio governor signs anti-transgender 'bathroom bill' into law". The Buckeye Flame. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
10. Johnston, Bailey (2024-11-21). "Bill limiting transgender students' school bathroom use passes Ohio Legislature in 24-7 vote". The Lantern. Retrieved 2025-09-08.