Sit-in protest over Idaho’s new bathroom law leads to arrests at Capitol
Nine people taking part in a sit-in protest inside Gov. Brad Little’s office were arrested Wednesday evening when they refused Idaho State Police requests to leave the Idaho Capitol after public business hours.
More than two dozen protesters lined the inside and hallway outside of Little’s office for hours, holding transgender rights signs and singing songs that could be heard throughout the Statehouse.
The protest came a day after Little signed a bill passed by the Legislature that criminalizes people using public toilets that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth. House Bill 752 is thought to be the strictest law in the nation concerning gendered bathrooms, locker rooms and changing facilities.
Idaho State troopers, who handle law enforcement duties at the Capitol, took the nine protesters into custody. They were each booked into the Ada County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing, ISP said in a news release.
“ISP supports the public’s fundamental right to express opinions and engage in lawful protest,” the release said. “However, individuals must also comply with lawful orders and applicable statutes to ensure safety and maintain order.”
The new law, which takes effect July 1, makes it a misdemeanor in Idaho to “knowingly and willfully” use a bathroom or changing room that does not match a person’s sex at birth. A second offense within five years would come with a felony charge and up to five years in prison. It applies to government-owned buildings and places of public accommodation.
The bill does carve out some exceptions for maintenance, medical assistance, and situations where someone is in “dire” need.
Proponents of the bill said it was an attempt to protect women and girls. Opponents argued it specifically targets transgender people and creates unsafe situations.
Little and state lawmakers have shown “there is no stoop too low for their abusive and hateful agenda” against transgender people, said Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates of Idaho’s regional political and state director.
The bill, she said in a written statement, makes it a crime for someone to be trans in public.
“Far from improving safety, HB 752 creates dangerous conditions for everyone. By encouraging the policing of gender in public spaces, the new law opens the door to harassment, confrontation, and violence — not just against transgender people, but against anyone who does not conform to narrow expectations of gender,” she said in the statement.
Idaho’s Republican-controlled Legislature has passed several bills in recent years aimed at LGBTQ+ people. In 2020, Idaho passed a first-in-the-nation law barring trans women and girls from participating in women’s and girls sports. That law was challenged and the U.S. Supreme Court recently heard the case, but has yet to issue its decision.
This session, the Legislature also passed House Bill 822, which requires schools and health care providers to inform a parent within 72 hours if a child requests to take steps to socially transition, which could include using pronouns or names that align with their gender identity. The bill awaits Little’s decision.
Reporter Carolyn Komatsoulis contributed.
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 8:38 PM.
