Utah trolled with 4,000 hoax reports of trans bathroom ban violations within days of reporting form launch

Less than 72 hours after the launch of a reporting form to help Utah enforce its transgender bathroom ban, the Utah auditor’s office says it has received nearly 4,000 complaints — and all of them appear to be “bogus.”

“We didn’t see anything that looks credible,” Utah Auditor John Dougall said in a phone call, noting that the claims have been “pretty easy” to screen. “For example, if they have my name as a complainant, you know, I’m not complaining.”

His office created an online reporting tool to comply with Morgan Republican Rep. Kera Birkeland’s “Sex-based Designations for Privacy, Anti-bullying and Women’s Opportunities,” or HB257.

After being rushed through the Legislature and quickly signed by Gov. Spencer Cox in January, the now-law changes the legal definitions of “female” and “male” to categorize Utahns by the reproductive organs of their birth, and restricts which bathrooms and locker rooms trans people can use in government-owned buildings.

The law goes on to require the state auditor’s office to “establish a process to receive and investigate alleged violations of this chapter by a government entity,” and then notify that entity. If the violation isn’t resolved, the auditor is required to refer the issue to the Utah attorney general’s office, which can then impose fines up to $10,000 “per violation per day.”

“I would assume the Legislature probably didn’t think through what kind of public backlash might happen,” Dougall said Friday.

HB257 took full effect on May 1.

“The alleged violation must have occurred at a publicly owned or controlled facility, program, or event,” the reporting tool informs those looking to submit a report. “When possible, citizens should make a good faith effort to address and resolve concerns with the government entity before submitting a complaint to the State Auditor.”

The auditor’s office asks five questions in the form — only requiring the reporter to submit a name, email and select which government entity they are complaining about.

It also provides a field for “documents supporting your complaint,” like images or PDFs, to be added to the report.

Salt Lake City Democratic state Sen. Jen Plumb questioned on X whether it was appropriate for the office to allow reporters to attach images to their complaints.

“Apparently Utah’s solution to people feeling unsafe in restrooms is to encourage folks to take photos of & focus extreme attention on the private parts of others who are taking care of a biological need to eliminate waste? What could go wrong?” she wrote in a post.

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