In a move to support the LGBTQ+ community, St. Petersburg, Florida, has taken steps to convert 164 of its public bathrooms into all-gender facilities. Here’s the full story.
Bathrooms for All Genders
The city’s Mayor, Ken Welch, signed an executive policy on September 1st to transform single occupancy, family restrooms, and changing facilities into all-gender spaces.
The Aim
This action aims to create an inclusive environment and ensure the safety of Trans individuals and others who might feel uncomfortable using gender-specific restrooms.
Under this policy, signage indicating specific genders will be replaced with markers designating these bathrooms as all-gender by March of the following year.
Notably, restrooms with multiple stalls will retain the men’s and women’s segregation.
Eliminate Gender Identity Restrictions
Jim Nixon, the city’s LGBTQ+ Liaison, shared that this initiative intends to eliminate gender identity restrictions, offering a safe space for trans individuals using these facilities.
This Was Done Before
The city’s move follows the footsteps of an earlier conversion at St. Petersburg’s City Hall in 2017 when single-use bathrooms were transformed into all-gender spaces.
The Inconsistencies
An audit revealed inconsistencies in the signage of city-owned bathrooms in parks and recreation facilities, prompting officials to take action.
A Good Opportunity
Nixon said, “We just felt like this was a good opportunity to make that change since we had made it here in City Hall. It was just an opportunity that we had seen this becoming a bigger issue.”
This development coincides with the enactment of a new state law that mandates individuals to use public restrooms corresponding to their biological sex.
A Safer Place
Nixon added, “It [lets our] transgender siblings … know there are facilities available that they’re safer to use. With everything that’s happening and the attacks on the LGBTQ+ community … from the state, we’re always looking at opportunities to make St. Pete a safe city for all of our residents.”
Dedicated to LGBTQ+ Support
St. Petersburg has long been dedicated to LGBTQ+ support, as evidenced by its consistent perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for ten consecutive years.
The Catalyst
This index evaluates cities based on their support for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity.
Jim Nixon expressed that the city’s perfect scores on this index served as a catalyst for the bathroom signage overhaul, given that the index considers the presence of single-occupancy all-gender facilities in its evaluations.
Six-Month Grace Period
City-owned facilities, such as theaters and sporting venues, have been granted a six-month grace period to comply with the new policy, aiming for uniformity in providing all-gender spaces.
Online Users Shared Their Views
Several online users expressed their thoughts on the incident.
One user wrote, “This truly shows who your viewers are. They are whining because SINGLE-USE restrooms are all-gender. No one can possibly be “protected” by them not being all-gender. These complaints have always been 100% about bigotry and this shows it perfectly.”
This Is Good
Another user added, “Why is this an issue? It is a single-use toilet, like I have in my house. You go in, lock the door, and use it, then leave, and the next person uses it. Just like with a port-a-john at an outdoor concert or fairgrounds.”
What About Other People?
A third user commented, “What about the people that identify as Deer, chickens, grasshoppers, pixies, fairies, and anything else they can think of? What in the world will they do? Well, actually who cares.”
The post Florida City Prioritizes Inclusivity – Plans to Convert Public Restrooms to All-Gender Facilities for Transgender Safety and Comfort first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / ciud. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
