Public outrage over new bathroom signs on University of Cincinnati’s main campus continues to swell as students and staff organize protests this week.
On Friday, students began sharing photos of new campus bathroom signs which read “biological men” and “biological women,” a warning to transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming students and staff that they are not welcome in the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.
“Can’t believe my tuition dollars went to a bathroom sign trying to push me out,” reads a comment under the photo on the r/uCinci subreddit. “Bro i’ve been on T for almost four years im not going into the women’s restroom. that’s only going to make all of us uncomfortable.”
“Hi, UC staff here. They haven’t told us anything about this, is this real? What the actual fuck kind of anti-trans hysteria is this bullshit?” reads another comment on the Reddit thread.
A university spokesperson reportedly confirmed to WLWT that the signs were placed in response to Senate Bill 104, commonly known as the “Bathroom Bill.” The bill, passed last year by the Ohio Legislature, bans students from accessing bathrooms that do not conform with their sex assigned at birth. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed the bill into law in November. UC has not responded to CityBeat’s request for comment or questions about the signs.
The only portion of SB 104 that mentions bathroom signage language says: “Each institution of higher education shall designate with clear signage each student restroom, locker room, changing room, or shower room accessible by multiple students at the same time for the exclusive use by students of the male biological sex only or by students of the female biological sex only.”
CityBeat spoke with Ryan Thoreson, an assistant professor of constitutional law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, who emphasized that he is not speaking on behalf of the university. He said the bill’s language does not suggest schools must include the word “biological” on bathroom signs.
“I don’t think that the bill as written requires that the university adopt this kind of language, and I’m actually not aware of any other universities adopting language like this in response to a bathroom bill,” Thoreson said. “The portion of the bill that refers to the signs could have given sample language if they intended sample language to be used. It could have put language in quotation marks that was required to be used. Obviously, it’s up to the university’s interpretation how they want to take the legislation, but the legislation, I think, could have been more clearly worded, if this is what they had intended universities to do.”
It’s unclear how UC plans to enforce the bathroom policy required by state lawmakers. The only section of the bill that mentions violations of the law says: “The authority of the [Ohio Department of Education] as the community school oversight body to suspend the operation of the school under section 3314.072 of the Revised Code if the department has evidence of conditions or violations of law at the school that pose an imminent danger to the health and safety of the school’s students and employees and the sponsor refuses to take such action.”
No matter how closely UC decides to enforce the state’s bathroom policy, Thoreson said some students may still be at risk of harm.
“There are students at UC and elsewhere who have transitioned earlier in their life, whose classmates and peers might not know that they’re transgender, and this bill puts them in an impossible position,” Thoreson said. “Either they go into a bathroom that is not consistent with their gender identity in the way they present and that puts them at risk of harassment or even violence, or they go into a bathroom that is consistent with the way that they present and their gender identity, and they risk being punished or facing consequences if it’s discovered that they are trans and are using a bathroom that they’re not supposed to use under the law.”
University President Neville Pinto has not publicly commented on the “biological” bathroom sign, but U.S. Congressman Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) told CityBeat he’s sitting down with Pinto this week to discuss the signs, which Landsman called “absolutely disgusting.”
“How do you think Americans are going to feel about a sign in the stall saying, ‘Hey, we’re watching and we’ll be determining the biological status of the people going to the bathroom here?’” Landsman said. “I’m meeting with President Pinto [on Thursday]. I am going to listen and try to understand, and then try to give him my best advice, and then come back and say, ‘Hey, this is what I’m going to do publicly.’ I’m going to have the conversation with him first.”
Frustration over the university’s interpretation of SB 104 comes as UC and other colleges across the country begin to roll back Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs; this comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month banning all federal funds for schools that engage in DEI-related principles or programs.
“As you are no doubt aware, the federal government has effectively outlawed DEI programs and practices within government entities, including public universities nationwide,” Pinto said in a statement released Friday. “Given the extent to which our university, like most educational institutions, relies on federal funding to deliver and sustain our core mission, it is untenable to operate as if noncompliance with these directives is an effective option.”
Students and faculty are planning to protest the bathroom signs and DEI rollbacks on Tuesday morning, according to posts shared on Reddit and other social channels.
“UC Faculty here,” reads a post on Reddit. “Just letting folks know that a massive protest at the Board of Trustees is happening this Tuesday @ 8:00am. Meet at the fountain in front of Van Wormer Hall, then march to Annie Laws. Please come out and let the university know just how pissed off you are.”
CityBeat will be at Tuesday’s protest to provide coverage.
Follow CityBeat’s staff news writer Madeline Fening on Instagram. Got a news tip? Email mfening@citybeat.com.
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This article appears in Feb 19 – Mar 4, 2025.