Texas House passes nation’s most financially punitive bathroom bill after Scripture-infused debate

September 3, 2025

Texas lawmakers have passed a bill prohibiting people from entering opposite-sex bathrooms in government buildings and public schools.

The Christian Post reports that the passage of Senate Bill 8 in an 86-43 vote last Thursday, came after an intense four hour debate filled with impassioned appeals to scripture by both supporters and opponents of the measure.

SB 8, also known as the “Texas Women’s Privacy Act”, is one of the most financially punitive bathroom bills of its kind with fines of $25,000 for a first violation and $125,000 for subsequent ones.

The measure would also prohibit men who identify as female from entering women’s domestic violence shelters unless they are under 17 and accompanied by a mother who is receiving services.

Rep. Angelia Orr, R-Itasca, argued that the bill targets public institutions, not private businesses or individuals in protecting safety and privacy for females.

Orr said, “The preference of someone’s sexual appearance does not override the safety and privacy of a biological female.”

Proponents and opponents of the bill traded Bible passages in an effort to garner support for their respective sides.

Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas, also appealed to Scripture in his opposition to SB 8, saying, “Everyone is born a child of God, and everyone who is born into this life deserves to be treated that way. That is what the Bible says, that is what our hearts tell us, and the only time we act differently is when we get into politics.”

According to the Christian Post, now that SB 8 has passed the legislature, it will go back to the state senate for final approval.

More than 20 other states have passed their own similar legislation, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma and South Carolina. 

Photo: top, Credit: Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images