Republican governor Brad Little's bill focusing on attacking trans people has been suspended.

Idaho is facing legal action after the state’s Republican leaders took advantage of a global pandemic to slip through two anti-trans laws.

Idaho governor Brad Little signed two bills targeting trans people – one which flouts a federal ruling to ban transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificates, and a second which bans schools and colleges from letting transgender girls from taking part in girls’ sports.

Under the law set to come into effect from July 1, pupils will be required to provide medical evidence of their “internal and external reproductive anatomy” if their sex is “disputed” – while those who believe they have been “disadvantaged” by their transgender classmates will be able to sue their schools for “injunctive relief, damages, and any other relief available”.

ACLU is challenging ‘hateful, unconstitutional’ anti-trans Idaho law.

Unsurprisingly, the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho has vowed to challenge the anti-transgender legislation, filing its first action in federal court on Wednesday to challenge the law targeting trans kids.

ACLU of Idaho legal director Ritchie Eppink told the Idaho Statesman: “Alongside Idahoans throughout the state, we have been fighting this hateful, unconstitutional legislation since it was introduced.

“Businesses, major employers, schools, doctors and counsellors have all warned that this law is terrible for Idaho.”

Little’s decision to enact the law ignored the advice of the state’s attorney general, who had warned that the bill is likely unconstitutional due to the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. The law is also open to challenge for violating the right to privacy over the way it seeks to establish the sex of students.

Idaho law targets ‘most vulnerable students’.

Addressing the law previously, GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard said: “In the dark of night, and at a time when our entire nation is already in crisis, governor Little decided to discriminate against some of his state’ s most vulnerable students.

“We know 84 per cent of transgender students have experienced harassment or assault in their schools and nearly four out of five experience discriminatory school policies and practices. We know that nearly half of transgender students report having seriously considered committing suicide within the past year.

“Above all, we know that transgender students need stronger connections to their teachers, classmates and school communities – exactly the kind of connections that school athletics can provide.

“This law must not stand, because of the danger it poses to transgender students, and the harm it will do to any athlete whose gender is called into question by their peers.”