Ted Cruz on Thursday backed a controversial North Carolina law that restricts bathroom access for gay and transgender people. 

“Men should not be going to the bathroom with little girls,” the Republican presidential candidate said during a taping of a MSNBC town hall in Buffalo, N.Y. “That is a perfectly reasonable determination for the people to make.” 

{mosads}The law requires that people in the state use bathrooms that correspond to their biological sex. Advocates for the transgender and gay communities argue the restriction is unfair.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed an executive order Tuesday partially amending the measure, expanding the state’s non-discriminiation employment policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity. His order affirms the right of the local governments and private-sector businesses to implement their own nondiscrimination policies, but left the bathroom portion of the law intact.

The state has faced national backlash from gay rights groups, businesses and entertainers who call the law unfair to the LGBT community.