Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen legislatures across the country pass bill after bill in a wave of unprecedented attacks on the civil rights of millions of Americans. Voter suppression, abortion bans and laws criminalizing trans people’s existence are now commonplace across the country.
While our state legislature is busy trying to make people illegal, we stand in solidarity with our community. No one should feel unwelcome or unsafe just for existing and expressing their authentic self.
We’re excited that so many local businesses and organizations are looking for ways to take a public stance against this extremist discrimination by openly supporting trans and gender non-conforming people.
In addition to celebrating our diverse community with pride flags, bumper stickers and social media posts (all of which are great!), one simple way to make a real impact is to make all your businesses or organization’s restrooms accessible to all people, regardless of their gender-identity.
We’ll provide tips and best practices in the following pages of this handout, as well as the signage for when you decide to implement gender-neutral restrooms in your building. This is a small change that can send a big message to your community that you stand in solidarity with ALL of your neighbors.
Read and download our digital guide at the bottom of the post!
Because everyone on the planet needs to use the restroom. That's really it.
Unfortunately, some lawmakers have decided to make using the bathroom weird by targeting trans and gender non-conforming people with inflammatory legislation meant to create division and stoke fear in our communities.
One way that they’ve targeted our trans community is by making it illegal for people to use gendered public bathrooms that match their own gender identity. In Kansas, the recently passed “Women’s Bill of Rights”, Senate Bill 180, does nothing to enumerate any protections for women, but it does make it more difficult for trans and gender non-conforming people to safely use public spaces by rigidly and unscientifically defining gender and sex.
The truth is that trans and gender non-conforming people have been using public restrooms since public restrooms have existed, which is to say, forever. Lawmakers in both Oklahoma and Kansas are not looking to solve problems, they’re trying to create them. If we truly want to keep our communities safe, it falls on all of us to make sure they do not succeed.
Ready to make a change? Give us a call at 316-425-3215, or email communications@itrustwomen.org to get your free gender-inclusive bathroom signage!
