Addressing Hesitations

NOTE: These hesitations don’t apply (or apply much less) to single person gender neutral bathrooms.

A) Personal Preference:

Personal preference never overrides discrimination.

1) Worries about cleanliness:

• Everyone has the ability to be clean.

• We can put up signs: “We aim to please, you aim please.”

(Larry Brinkin’s suggestion)

2) Need for women’s only space:

• Gender-neutral bathrooms in no way keep women from having other

women-only spaces.

3) Women and men are fundamentally different – and so need to go to the bathroom separately

• Sexism

B) Fear of assault:

• Irrelevant for single person gender neutral bathrooms.

• Attacks in bathroom are very infrequent.

(e.g. San Francisco Police has no reports of assaults on a non-transgender women in a bathrooms.[1])

• A female sign on the door is an illusion of safety. A sign does not keep out attackers.

(Multiple person gender neutral bathrooms could actually provide more safety, if carefully

constructed, since they would be a more public spaces and make it less likely that a woman

would be alone.)

• Places with multiple person gender neutral bathrooms report no complaints, no harassment,

and no violence.

• Multiple person gender neutral bathrooms can be constructed for maximum safety

(locking stall doors, no door to the outside, for example)

• The current gender segregated situation is not safe for many transgender and non-transgender people.

Everyone’s safety is important. We need to find a solution that allows everyone safe bathroom access. We all have to go to the bathroom.

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[1] Aida Maron at the San Francisco Police Planning and Development Department, Statistical Division.