The Devitt family—Michael and Dr. Angie Devitt, both medical professionals—have announced their departure from Idaho in response to a criminal transgender bathroom ban signed into law. Their trans daughter, Eve, previously testified against a bill outlawing gender-affirming care for minors. This year’s criminal transgender bathroom ban, described by advocates as the most extreme in the nation for extending to private businesses, prompted Michael Devitt to notify patients that his physical therapy practice, Focus Physical Therapy, will shut down at the end of August as the family prepares to relocate.
House Bill 752 criminalizes transgender people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity in both public and private businesses. A first offense carries a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison; a second offense within five years is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The law takes effect July 1. According to the Movement Advancement Project, only three states—Utah, Florida, and Kansas—have criminal bans on trans people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity. ACLU of Idaho Legal Director Paul Carlos Southwick called the Idaho ban “the most extreme in the nation, mainly because it applies to places of public accommodations, which include many private businesses, like grocery stores, restaurants and movie theaters.”
The bathroom bill follows years of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Idaho. In 2020, Idaho became the first state to ban transgender girls and women from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. In 2023, lawmakers made it a felony for doctors to provide gender-affirming health care to transgender youth. In 2024, lawmakers expanded the ban to apply to taxpayer funds and government property, forbidding Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care. This year, the legislature also approved House Bill 822, which forces teachers and doctors to out transgender minors to their parents or face lawsuits, and House Bill 561, which banned city pride flags made official after 2023. The city of Boise has created workarounds including rainbow-wrapped flagpoles and pride banners on city hall.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.easttexasnews.com/premium/stories/for-a-boise-family-of-medical-providers-idaho-criminal-trans-bathroom-ban-was-the-last-straw,89489