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CA AB1998
Bill
Status
Introduced
2/17/2026
Primary Sponsor
Leticia Castillo
Click for details
AI Summary
- Amends the Unruh Civil Rights Act to redefine "sex" as immutable biological sex (female or male), based on reproductive system and gamete production, removing the current definition that includes gender identity
- Requires all business establishments to separate "intimate spaces"—bathrooms, showers, changing rooms, locker rooms, and dressing rooms—by biological sex, regardless of a person's gender identity or gender expression
- Adds "gender identity" and "gender expression" as separate protected characteristics under the Act, distinct from the redefined category of "sex"
- Permits single-occupancy bathrooms to be gender neutral and allows family-use intimate spaces if sex-separated facilities are also available
- Legislative findings cite incidents at Los Angeles spas and gyms, and Bay Area YMCAs as justification for requiring sex-separated spaces
Legislative Description
Discrimination: sex and gender: intimate spaces.
Last Action
From printer. May be heard in committee March 20.
2/18/2026
Full Bill Text
No bill text available