LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Republican state representative has filed legislation that would require transgender and gender nonconforming Kentuckians to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public buildings based on their sex assigned at birth, according to reporting from Queer Kentucky.

House Bill 867, filed by Rep. Bill Wesley (R-Ravenna), would apply to all "multi-occupancy private spaces" in state and local government buildings. The bill specifies only male and female designations and includes exceptions for caregivers, emergency personnel and situations where assigned bathrooms are out of service.

At least 10 other House Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors since the bill was filed Tuesday, reflecting ongoing GOP efforts in Kentucky to restrict transgender access to public facilities.

Wesley's filing comes nearly a year after he became a focal point in a high-profile Capitol confrontation when he accosted a transgender woman for using a women's restroom during a trans visibility event in March 2025. That incident escalated into a tense exchange on the House floor involving state Sen. Karen Berg, a Louisville Democrat whose transgender son died by suicide in 2022. Berg reportedly lost her privileges to be on the House floor following the altercation.

The lawmaker has previously sought bathroom restrictions. Wesley successfully pushed for provisions limiting transgender student access to school bathrooms that were incorporated into Kentucky's 2023 Senate Bill 150, legislation widely considered one of the nation's most restrictive anti-transgender measures that year.

HB 867 comes as Kentucky continues to see significant legislative activity on transgender issues. Lawmakers have until April 1 to pass legislation that could face a veto from Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who has previously opposed restrictions on transgender rights.