Fair & Family Friendly Restrooms Is Now State Law
Gov. Polis has signed Fair & Family Friendly Restrooms, HB23-1057 Amenities for All Genders in Public Buildings, into Colorado law.
We are all human and we all share some basic human functions. While many people may take for granted being able to find an appropriate restroom, for many of us, it's a serious health and/or safety challenge. Just as we need our bodies to function, we also need facilities that function for us, and this law establishes requirements to make sure our government buildings provide restrooms that meet our functional needs by requiring non-gendered restrooms and diaper changing tables accessible to all genders - a public good for LGBTQ+ people, people who require restroom assistance, and people caring for babies.
We have been working on non-gendered bathrooms since at least 2015 when we held a Trans Leadership Summit and what is now known as the Trans Advisory Committee was born. Safe restroom access for trans and gender expansive people was one of the pressing issues raised in that Summit. Over the years, we have made progress in the City of Boulder, and now we have made progress for non-gendered restrooms in public entities across the state. While this law does not apply to private businesses, it is a strong move in the right direction and will enable our government buildings to serve as a model for everyone. This law sets a precedent for others and is a change that will be felt long into the future, and gradually become a new norm.
As we all know, changes like this don’t happen in a vacuum and they don’t happen overnight. So many people have been involved in this issue over the years and we would not have been successful without everyone’s contributions - from raising this issue with other community members and businesses, to testifying, to calling and emailing their legislators, and more. It’s been an honor to take this batton and run it across the finish line. While we all know well that there are many more races ahead of us, we are excited to take a moment to celebrate this win along the way.
We will be honoring this law’s bill sponsors in the CO House and Senate at our annual Garden Party on June 4.
Rep. McCormick is the honoree of this year’s Clela Rorex Allies in Action Award and Sen. Jacquez Lewis is the honoree of this year’s Jack & Jean Hodges Big Hearts Award.
Learn more in our previous blog posts:
Fair & Family Friendly Restrooms Has Passed Both Chambers (this post includes details of the bill as well as supporting organizations)
HB23-1057 Passes out of the House and onto the Senate
Personal Testimonies about Fair & Family Friendly Restrooms — House State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing
Moving Testimonies Pass Bill Out of Committee
HB23-1057 Fair and Family-Friendly Restrooms - Frequently Asked Questions (some details of the bill have changed through the amendment process since this blog was published)
Fair & Family Friendly Restrooms: 2023 Legislation (some details of the bill have changed through the amendment process since this blog was published)
