Transgender bathroom restrictions take effect as Montana governor signs law

HELENA (AP) — Transgender people in Montana can no longer use bathrooms in public buildings that do not align with their sex assigned at birth after Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed new restrictions into law Thursday.

The law, which takes effect with its approval, requires public buildings including the state Capitol, schools, jails, prisons, libraries and state-funded domestic violence shelters to provide separate spaces for men and women.

It defines the sexes in state law based on a person's chromosomes and reproductive biology, even as a district court ruling earlier this year declared the definitions unconstitutional.