State auditor’s office inundated with “bogus” complaints about new bathroom law

May 8, 2024, 9:00 AM | Updated: 10:13 am

FILE - Bonneville Elementary School parents and students gather during a block party supporting trans and non binary students and staff on April 29, 2024, in Salt Lake City. Transgender activists have flooded a Utah tip line created to alert state officials to possible violations of a new bathroom law with thousands of hoax reports in an effort to shield trans residents and their allies from any legitimate complaints that could threaten their safety. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

BY HEATHER PETERSON

KSLNewsRadio

SALT LAKE CITY– Utah’s state auditor’s office said it has been inundated with complaints following the recent implementation of a bathroom law. It regulates which bathroom a person can use.

State Auditor John Dougall joins us live at 11:20!

However, State Auditor John Dougall called the complaints bogus. Additionally, he said many are coming from people who oppose the bathroom law.

“So far we have received almost 10,000 complaints that all appear to be bogus in one form or fashion,” Dougall said. “Some are just kind of gibberish. Some are clearly just protests; it’s not actually a complaint. It’s just, ‘I don’t like this.’ Others appear like they are trying to submit a complaint, but they will indicate the name of an individual which clearly isn’t a complainant. Or they will list a location that does not exist in Utah.”

When did the complaints begin?

It all began when the new law went into effect on May 1. The auditor’s office was required to open up an online reporting form to the public.

Some who oppose the law took to social media to suggest flooding the tip line with fake reports.

So Utah, having passed a transphobic bathroom bill, has launched an online form for people to snitch on folks they think are in the “wrong” bathroom or locker room. Be a real shame if people on the Internet flooded it with fake reports: https://t.co/PQ2UUvdxej pic.twitter.com/fenhUdR7hj

— Michael F. Lopez, Pronoun Gang 🌻🇵🇸 (@OOSMuppet) May 3, 2024

Hey y’all! You are totally not invited to flood the Utah Snitch Line for their transphobic bathroom bill with a bunch of false reports (or complete nonsense). Whatever you do, please do not do that! The link down in the next tweet is ONLY for TOTALLY serious reports!

Thank you! pic.twitter.com/yLP3zWXKsf

— Purple FlⒶme (@FlamesOfRevolt) May 7, 2024

Dougall wants people to know the state auditor is not a bathroom monitor. He did not make this law, and he did not ask to be put in charge of compliance checks for this bill.

“I think most people don’t understand what our role is, and think we somehow initiated this,” Dougall said. “Clearly with this process, the legislature raced this through and did not consult with me or anyone on my team in advance of the bill’s passage, nor after it passed.”

Dougall also explained that his office does not investigate people or their genders. They simply deal with the compliance of state and local entities’ buildings.

Dougall said that people who are unhappy with the law should contact their legislators instead of filing complaints.

“If the public has concerns with the public policy, they should be addressing it at the legislature–Representative [Kera] Birkeland and others. They’re the ones that ran the bill. They’re the ones that created the mandate on my office and that’s where they should direct their energy and their concern,” said Dougall.