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2019-06-17 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Mayor Jack Young Signs Gender-Inclusive, Single Occupancy Restroom Bill Into Law At Baltimore Pride Weekend

[BALTIMORE.CBSLOCAL] Mayor Jack Young signed a bill that would allow all single occupancy restrooms to be used by anyone, male or female.

This is in an effort to provide a safe space for all citizens regardless of their gender identity.

"All of your elected officials believe in equality, we believe in everyone treated the same way," Baltimore Council President Brandon Scott said.

The new law will open up all single occupancy bathrooms with gender-inclusive signage to male and female. This will allow members of the transgender community to use any restroom they feel comfortable with.

Councilman Zeke Cohen introduced the bill and it received unanimous approval from the Baltimore City Council.

"We know that in the city and across the country, restrooms are a space of fear and anxiety for a trans and gender non-binary communities," Cohen said.

Bathroom laws have been a hot button issue across the country.

Posted by Fred 2019-06-17 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 And they can put a question mark sign on the door so people know what it's for.

Posted by gorb 2019-06-17 00:22|| 2019-06-17 00:22|| Front Page Top

#2 Congratulation, girls. Men have again taken back the loos. Posing as lipsticked, sashaying oddities they've turned back your hard won victory over public places that once forced you to either hold it in or pee in gutters. A convention that was only for the safety of women and children from predators has been done away with. Ultimately men will use these new laws related to protecting transgender people as ways to attack women and children.

Posted by Dron66046 2019-06-17 01:42|| 2019-06-17 01:42|| Front Page Top

#3 This was one of the warnings the cause the Equal Rights Amendment to stall and fail. The promoters laughed at those who claimed that outcome. Of course, Ms Ginsburg and her wing of the court have been implementing the ERA bit by bit regardless of its Constitutional failure and the illogical results that simply empower one vocal group at the expense of the vast majority (which is counter to the whole concept of a republic).

Posted by Procopius2k 2019-06-17 07:58|| 2019-06-17 07:58|| Front Page Top

#4 While those of the traditional two genders now don't feel safe using *any* restroom!

Posted by CrazyFool 2019-06-17 08:06|| 2019-06-17 08:06|| Front Page Top

#5 People will probably just p!ss and sh!t in the streets as in San Francisco. They might use these bathrooms for hooking up but I doubt they will be safer as claimed by the Baltimore officials.

Posted by JohnQC 2019-06-17 08:52|| 2019-06-17 08:52|| Front Page Top

#6 I saw universal restrooms in a state park in Missouri several years ago. The were much larger than port-a-potties, but not much cleaner.

I've noticed newer facilities in north Texas are 'universal'. Still have men and women, but they (men's room anyways) are set up for handicapped access and have no urinals, so could easily become first-come, first-served, any-gender-at-all. Women will have to get used to messy seats.

Posted by Bobby 2019-06-17 09:05|| 2019-06-17 09:05|| Front Page Top

#7 Is this really the most pressing issue facing Baltimore city government?

Small things attract light minds.

Posted by Tom 2019-06-17 09:33|| 2019-06-17 09:33|| Front Page Top

#8 Ok with me. Ill still pee without lifting up the seat.

Posted by Ebboluns Shong6204 2019-06-17 10:30|| 2019-06-17 10:30|| Front Page Top

#9 Is this part of the city's 'Data Ransom' payoff?

Posted by Mullah Richard 2019-06-17 12:03|| 2019-06-17 12:03|| Front Page Top

#10 Did you all even read the part where this would apply to single occupancy bathrooms? The ones originally intended for handicapped people with a wide space in the middle with only a single toilet and a lock on the door. As far as I'm concerned, they basically are gender neutral already. Why shouldn't they be if only one person goes inside at a time? As a side note, the gas station I previously worked at had two of them, one for men and one for women, and if one was occupied, I assure you, people would just use the other one, regardless of the sign. There were no issues there.

Posted by Vernal Hatrick 2019-06-17 13:47|| 2019-06-17 13:47|| Front Page Top

#11 This is so much of a dumb issue. Here in AZ they have this. Single bathrooms. Either can use it, so what. He is just pandering. If he made the multi stall bathroom gender neutral, that would cause a stir. This is just pandering.

Posted by 49 Pan 2019-06-17 14:25|| 2019-06-17 14:25|| Front Page Top

#12 Ill still pee without lifting up the seat.

My favourite park in Cincinnati has a long row of lockable, single-occupant bathrooms instead of a gents’ and a ladies’. The stainless steel toilets don’t actually have proper seats, which Ebboluns Shong6204 will find a relief; a few of the bathrooms at the ends are double width and marked for handicapped use, and park staff arrange for additional port-a-potties when they expect crowds,

This kind of thing has been going on for a while, as 49 Pan points out; Mayor Young is just taking the opportunity to shut down the fussing — nearly cost-free since the single use jobbies are already there, and much safer for all involved than integrating traditional ladies’ rooms.

Posted by trailing wife 2019-06-17 15:29|| 2019-06-17 15:29|| Front Page Top

#13 Agree re single-occupancy. Doubt this'll make any visible difference (from the male point of view, anyway), but if the funk surpasses a certain point, well, that's why God made sinks, newspapers and plastic bags, right? But the "liberation" of multi-stall, multi-sink restrooms in stores or gov't buildings? Yoiks. First encountered that, completely unawares, on a trip to Rajistan. Scarred for life, probably...

Words fail me. The voice is disloyal
To the scene I beheld. Grisly. Goyal.
Brazil: Village Anthill
Performs Chinese Fire Drill
In Dot Target Toilet, by Breughel.

Posted by Neville Jath2106 2019-06-17 15:29|| 2019-06-17 15:29|| Front Page Top

#14 One of the few nice things about spending a lot of time lurking around hospitals, those big roomy bathrooms. I could get almost nostalgic... almost.

Posted by Neville Jath2106 2019-06-17 15:32|| 2019-06-17 15:32|| Front Page Top

#15 nearly cost-free since the single use jobbies are already there, and much safer for all involved than integrating traditional ladies’ rooms.

And way, way easier than doing something about the murder rate.

Posted by SteveS 2019-06-17 15:33|| 2019-06-17 15:33|| Front Page Top

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