Gender-Neutral Restrooms become law in Philly

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armpitsOFmight

armpitsOFmight

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Transgender people only make up .3% of the population in the US, why should we bend over backwards for them?


When Mayor Michael Nutter signed legislation Thursday to afford equal rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, he said he hoped Philadelphia would become “the most LGBT-friendly” city in the world.

One piece of that comprehnsive legislation will forever alter the restroom options in city-owned buildings.

The legislation requires that new or renovated city-owned buildings include gender-neutral bathrooms in addition to traditional men's and women's restrooms.

“It can be an awkward and embarrassing situation” for anyone who may “feel more like a woman, but can't use the women's room," said Councilman Jim Kenney, the bill’s sponsor.

There is more to the bill than just a neutral place to relieve oneself. Nutter, city and state lawmakers and gay rights advocates said the legislation makes Philadelphia the first city in the U.S. to offer tax credits to companies that extend the same health care coverage to LGBT employees' domestic partners and their children as they provide to heterosexual spouses and their children.

Officials said the legislation also makes Philadelphia the first city to offer businesses tax credits as a way to encourage providing transgender-specific health benefits.

“My goal is for Philadelphia to be one of, if not the most, LGBT-friendly cities in the world and a leader on equality issues,” said Nutter, adding that the signing struck a personal note because his friend, the late City Councilman John Anderson, was a gay man and a mentor who inspired him 30 years ago to pursue a life of public service.

In addition to the business tax incentives, which were backed by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce as well as LGBT advocacy groups, and the gender-neutral restrooms, the legislation revises Philadelphia's anti-discrimination law to include transgender people, extends decision-making rights to life partners on medical and other issues, and changes city forms and websites to offer options for same-sex couples and transgender people.

“Equal protection under the law means equal protection under the law,” said. “It doesn't mean sanctioned by religion or custom or anything else.”

Kenney called the bill, which the City Council passed easily last month, “the next iteration of civil rights and freedom in the United States.”

“This is a city that is truly respecting all its citizens,” said state Rep. Brian Sims, a Philadelphia Democrat and the first openly gay candidate to be elected to the Legislature. “It is because of that respect that we are indeed a first-class city and we will continue to shine.”

Neither gay marriage nor civil unions are legal in Pennsylvania, and the state has a law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
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Charlie's has a gender neutral restroom upstairs. They got rid of separate men's and women's. The stalls are more private, is all. Men and women can wash their hands together.

Also, I have a pet peeve against businesses that mark separate men and women's restrooms when both of them are single-person restrooms. What's the point of marking them by gender when only one person goes in at a time anyhow? I think people are just accustomed to putting up men's and women's signs without thinking about it. The net result of this law will probably be to eliminate that silliness.
 
Proposition Joe said:
Because they are human beings and equality is an important quality for a society to maintain?
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so you're saying the rest of us 350+ million people need to adjust our lives for this small minority of people who are conflicted on which bathroom to use? I could understand it if they had the population of the homosexuals in the US, which I've heard is between 4-5%, but it's only .3%.


Matthew said:
Charlie's has a gender neutral restroom upstairs. They got rid of separate men's and women's. The stalls are more private, is all. Men and women can wash their hands together.
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Good Job! You've found 1 establishment! Now find me 15 more in Boston!

Matthew said:
Also, I have a pet peeve against businesses that mark separate men and women's restrooms when both of them are single-person restrooms. What's the point of marking them by gender when only one person goes in at a time anyhow? I think people are just accustomed to putting up men's and women's signs without thinking about it. The net result of this law will probably be to eliminate that silliness.
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Agreed! All single-person stalls should be unisex. However, this law in Philly doesn't refer to single-stalls. I suggest you go back and read the news article so you can stop trying to wing this cordial conversation.
 
See what I wrote above. There will probably be no adjustment at all except to remove some pointless signs.

Also, why are you such a fucking asshole?
 
Just a note: many transgender people including several of my transgender friends have been attacked both verbally and physically because people saw them as using the "wrong" bathroom. It is important that everyone no matter how small a part of the population should feel safe and free to relieve themselves without fear of being attacked. I personally don't see why having gender neutral bathrooms would be an issue anyways there is no reason men and women can't use the same bathroom.
 
We had gender neutral bathrooms in some dorms at Stanford. It wasn't a big deal at all (and more convenient than having separate bathrooms that might be far away).
 
citylover94 said:
Just a note: many transgender people including several of my transgender friends have been attacked both verbally and physically because people saw them as using the "wrong" bathroom. It is important that everyone no matter how small a part of the population should feel safe and free to relieve themselves without fear of being attacked. I personally don't see why having gender neutral bathrooms would be an issue anyways there is no reason men and women can't use the same bathroom.
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name calling is wrong! My Jewish friends are constantly harassed for being who they are, but no law can make the public stop all verbal and physical harassment. This is why i stick up for them when I see this happening and you should do this too with your transgendered friends.

Also, I really think it's your transgendered friends' responsibility to get surgery and hormonal treatment so he/she appears to be the sex he/she wants to appear to the public.
 
You do realize that a transgender person is required to "pass" as the gender they see themselves as for a year prior to receiving hormone injections and surgery. I do stick up for them as I am doing right now by explaining why gender neutral bathrooms are important.
 
citylover94 said:
You do realize that a transgender person is required to "pass" as the gender they see themselves as for a year prior to receiving hormone injections and surgery. I do stick up for them as I am doing right now by explaining why gender neutral bathrooms are important.
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Have I verbally or physically assaulted any of your transgendered friends in this thread? No, i haven't. You're not sticking up for them right now, you're just arguing in the affirmative for gender-neutral bathrooms and you're not doing a very good job. The burden of proof is on you to supply statistics that there is mass killings and an un-proportional amount of physical harm to this minority group.

I am avidly waiting for your response!
 
armpitsOFmight said:
Agreed! All single-person stalls should be unisex. However, this law in Philly doesn't refer to single-stalls. I suggest you go back and read the news article so you can stop trying to wing this cordial conversation.
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You always gotta go and be a dick, huh? Such a snide motherfucker.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
F-Line to Dudley said:
F-Line to Dudley said:
F-Line to Dudley said:
Oh look, it's this thread again!
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Oh look, it's this thread again!
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Oh look, it's this thread again!
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ad infinitum. . .
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Y'all are just takin' the obvious trollbait again. Don't give Howie too much early Halloween candy...his mom says it makes him too hyperactive to go to school. . .

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We're talking two separate issues here. Not that it matters.

Having non-gender specific bathrooms helps everyone; I can't tell how many times I've waited in line at Starbucks b/c the men's bathroom is occupied and the ladies' bathroom is empty. I have no problem breaking the line but most people have manners. It's dumb.

The point of the Philadelphia bathroom seems to be for something else but it serves a dual purpose - the stated one but then another one - making it easier and faster for people to pee.

BTW, if you support non-gender specific bathrooms then join my Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/125644178532/

Yes, it's real.
 
^I'm afraid you're mistaken. That Philly law is there so there are three different kinds of bathrooms for groups of people. It makes no mention of making the male and female bathroom stalls at Starbucks into unisex bathrooms, which we both agree is the better thing to do since it's for one person at a time. Hell, if the male bathroom is full at Starbucks and the female one isn't....I do use the female bathroom since I'm not bothering other females by using it.

That facebook page is a riot!
 
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A lot of public places already have gender-neutral bathrooms anyway, just named differently. They're often billed as "family restrooms" for parents to have privacy with their kids. Anyone who wants privacy is welcomed to use it though. Separate handicap bathrooms added for ADA compliance also function as gender-neutral.

It's really not a big deal. It's more like a private bathroom for whatever you need privacy for, whether it be you are transgender, have children, have a monthly occurrence to address, or just aren't comfortable going to the bathroom in public etc.
 
I think you guys are still confused. It's not for private-personal bathrooms for families, handicapped people, etc....

This is what they're referring to....a bathroom for multiple people.

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I understand what you mean, and I don't think there is a meaningful reason for gender separation in those bathrooms either. A stall is a stall...
 
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