City of Denton agrees to comply with Texas law on changing rooms following legal action by Attorney General Ken Paxton
Denton, Texas – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced last week that the City of Denton has agreed to comply with state law governing sex-specific changing facilities, resolving a legal dispute connected to a scheduled community event at a public swimming facility.
The agreement comes ahead of a June 7, 2026 event known as “Big Gay Swim Day,” which is being organized by the nonprofit groups PRIDENTON and OUTreach Denton at the Quakertown Civic Center.
According to Paxton’s office, the city reached the agreement after the Attorney General filed legal action challenging plans that allegedly would have allowed multiple-occupancy gender-neutral changing areas at the publicly owned facility.
Agreement Requires Compliance With State Law
Under the agreement, Denton will continue using its existing designations for men’s and women’s changing rooms and take additional measures to ensure compliance with the Texas Women’s Privacy Act, also known as Senate Bill 8.
The city agreed to maintain its current signage identifying male and female changing areas and prevent signs from being altered, removed, or covered.
Officials also agreed that renters using the facility will not be allowed to establish gender-neutral changing areas within the premises. Event organizers will additionally be required to acknowledge and follow applicable Texas law.
The dispute centered on changing facilities at the Quakertown Civic Center, a city-owned location that serves residents and families, including children.
Texas law requires publicly owned private spaces such as changing rooms to be designated based on biological sex. The law also requires governmental entities to take reasonable steps to prevent members of the opposite sex from entering those designated spaces.
Lawsuit Prompted Resolution
Paxton’s office filed suit against the City of Denton and city officials in an effort to block the creation of multiple-occupancy gender-neutral changing areas at the facility.
The Attorney General argued that the proposed arrangement would conflict with requirements established under state law.
Following the legal challenge, city officials agreed to maintain the existing structure of the changing facilities and implement safeguards intended to ensure continued compliance.
“This is a major victory for the privacy and safety of women and children,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The City of Denton has now agreed to follow the law and ensure that men are not allowed in women’s and girl’s changing areas. I will continue to ensure that every government entity in Texas complies with our laws protecting women and children.”
The agreement resolves the immediate dispute before the scheduled event and establishes requirements governing how changing facilities at the civic center will be managed moving forward.
State officials say the outcome reinforces the application of the Texas Women’s Privacy Act to publicly owned facilities throughout Texas and serves as a reminder that local governments are expected to comply with state requirements regarding private spaces such as changing rooms.
