Fair & Family Friendly Restrooms: 2023 Legislation
1/11/23
By Michal Duffy (they/them), OBC Director of Education & Research
Read HB23-1057 Fair and Family-Friendly Restrooms - Frequently Asked Questions here.
This year, Out Boulder County is putting forth state legislation to require “Amenities for All Genders in Public Buildings'', sponsored by Representatives McCormick and Vigil and Senator Jaquez Lewis. We are working to build on our track record of success, established with the passage of two significant bills in our inaugural 2022 legislative session.
As many of us in the LGBTQ+ community know too well, not having a safe, appropriate restroom facility poses health risks and creates frustrating and sometimes dangerous situations. From the gay dad looking for a clean diaper changing station to the nonbinary person visiting the county court to change their legal name to the lesbian mom with a son that isn’t comfortable in the women’s room with her nor in the men’s room by himself to the woman who needs to provide restroom assistance for her disabled father, we all deserve comfortable restroom access. Our 2023 legislation addresses this basic human need and comfort navigating it in public spaces. Our government buildings are meant to be accessible for the people, all people, and we are here to make sure that is the case.
Our 2023 legislative initiative is called Fair & Family Friendly Restrooms and would require newly constructed and renovated buildings owned by state, county, and local government to:
Provide diaper changing stations in all restrooms, including gender-specific and non-gendered multi-stall and single-stall restrooms,
Have a non-gendered restroom facility on each floor where public restrooms are available,
Ensure all single-stall restrooms are non-gendered and are available for use by individuals of any gender,
Allow for the use of non-gendered multi-stall restrooms if in compliance with the 2021 International Plumbing code, and
Require all buildings owned by state, county or local government to update signage for non-gendered restrooms and changing tables with non-gendered pictograms in all buildings (this means no weird half-man, half-woman pictograms!)
If passed, this legislation will:
Ensure parents and care providers of all genders are able to find a safe, suitable place to change diapers,
Ensure access to safe and appropriate facilities for basic human functions, regardless of an individual’s identity,
Reduce restroom wait times, and
Remove obstacles for parents, caregivers, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals by providing equity and accessible facilities.
This is an important step in the development of a society where we all have a safe place to pee - no more bladder infections from “holding it” for too long, no more weird looks or comments about being in the “wrong” restrooms, no more changing baby diapers on bathroom floors. We know these problems will not be resolved overnight, but we also know that we have to do something about it in order to make a dent in the issue. Appropriate and equitable access to restroom facilities in public buildings is movement in the right direction.
To learn more, sign up for our Advocacy Alerts or email Michal Duffy (they/them), Director of Education & Research at: mduffy@outboulder.org