Genderqueer Chicago Launches Trans-Friendly Bathroom Initiative

From the Windy City Times

CHICAGO--In an unprecedented effort to make the city of Chicago safer for transgender individuals, Genderqueer Chicago, a local youth group, launched the "T-Friendly Bathroom Initiative," a grassroots project that challenges business owners to recognize and protect gender identity in their public restrooms, according to a press release.

This year, more than 500 businesses and organizations will be asked to sign a pledge that commits them to allowing gender-variant customers to use the bathrooms they choose. Businesses that sign the pledge will receive window decals that gender-variant people can easily identify as trans-friendly.

"We expect this will dramatically improve the way transgender people experience our city and state" said Kate Sosin, co-founder of Genderqueer Chicago and a project organizer. "We want business owners to understand that under the Illinois Human Rights Act, it is not just their right to protect transgender people in bathrooms, it is their duty."

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Alison Bates]

03:24 PM on 04/19/2011

I'm an androgynous female lesbian, who is mistaken for a guy daily, if not multiple times a day. Instead of lowering my head and crying because someone in the female restroom acted in a hostile manner towards me, which happens VERY VERY often, I take pride in my gender identity and unique appearance. Therefore, I think it is vital for people with alternative gender expressions to stand up against people in society who are hostile or even fearful of our differences. It will do no good to hide behind a genderless bathroom door. Instead, stand up for yourself and your right to use whatever bathroom you're comfortable with. I'm not saying this bathroom idea is completely bad, I personally like using family/non-gender designated bathrooms when I have the opportunity. I am saying however that if you're a woman who looks like a dude, be proud of your identity. It will really open peoples' eyes to the multitude of expressions available and present in our society.

[LisaCACO]

02:50 PM on 04/16/2011

fine by me. gender identity is each individual's decision. I'd hate to have someone "deciding" who gets to pee where.

[Nick Tarlton]

06:38 AM on 04/08/2011

As a gay man and part of the LGBT community I have to say that we are going to get to the point of "cry wolf" Often any group that tries to gain rights goes so far that they alienate everyone. I'm all for equality and don't have a problem with businesses doing this, but if a group tries to push it past the "free to participate" to trying to pass laws then it will go too far. I understand safety issues and I want everyone to be safe, I'm just fearful that with LGBT issues constantly in the news that it will have a negative effect rather than a positive effect. To an average person that doesn't understand the challenges of the community or our general lives it will start to seem that we want every single thing adjusted. I love my community and the people in it. We deserve rights, but choose which battles to fight. I will admittedly say that I do not have any transgender friends and have very little experience dealing with someone with those unique challenges. It is not my intention to upset anyone. I'm just kind of thinking out loud here.

[Koeiseun]

07:16 PM on 03/02/2011

Hmmmm...."Tran-Can"........kinda catchy.....

[middleoftheroad]

02:54 PM on 02/28/2011

It should not turn into a law. If a business wants to do it fine, but if a business has a male & Female restroom, then the TG person should go into the one for which they really are by birth.

[eve mahar]

02:59 PM on 03/03/2011

they aren't trying to pass a law. They are asking businesses to participate in this. And do you reall think people who live, and dress, and appear to be one gender are going to go into the other bathroom? The whole point is that transgendered people are not comfortable, or safe, doing just that.

[Ryan A]

12:55 PM on 04/13/2011

Actually, it already is law, although not because of what the T-Friendly Bathroom Initiative has done. As Kate pointed out, under the Illinois Human Rights Act, we have a right to use the gendered restroom with which we identify. The Initiative is simply trying to bring attention to those businesses that uphold the Illinois Human Rights Act.

[Bude]

10:24 AM on 02/28/2011

What's behind door #3?

[jilrita]

04:17 PM on 02/27/2011

I am fortunate to work somewhere with three clean, elegant and spacious washrooms...all unisex. Though people often give me strange looks when I direct them to the bathroom and tell them that they can use any one of them...I think it's catching on. Besides, when men and women have to share the same facilities, they tend to be more courteous and clean. When you know that the cute guy you've been eyeing might just come into the room after you, you tend to not pee on the seat.

Just as an aside, women, sprinkles are for cupcakes. Wipe down that seat and SIT. You are not equipped to aim, don't make me sit in your puddles.

[Luckylee218]

02:04 AM on 03/14/2011

Ugh... I hate when I walk into a bathroom when the toilet's gross like that or the toilet's not flushed. It's gross. Do they do that at home?

[Ms Liann]

03:27 PM on 02/27/2011

I see that decal and think "The artist formerly known as Prince washing hands".

[KIVPossum]

09:15 AM on 02/27/2011

Just make them all gender neutral. That's the way in much of the world. It's a toilet; go in, do what you need to do, and leave. With individual stalls with doors, it's no big deal. Without doors on the stalls it's a bit more problematic, yet those exist and people don't worry about it.

[Brynn West]

06:19 PM on 02/26/2011

People seem very misinformed about this issue. The issue at hand is that everyone should be able to use _public_ facilities no matter what their gender presentation is. This is not about creating a "third category" it is about making facilities already available open for any human being without fear of repercussion. People's prejudices should not be grounds to exclude anyone from these public facilities. I would suggest you read the entire article (http://chicagoist.com/2011/02/24/flushing_without_fear.php) as it answers directly some of the concerns brought up.

"Passing" is a difficult issue for many transgender people, not everyone has the privilege of passing which makes _any_ bathroom choice problematic. The suggestions here that people have said to use the bathroom "for your equipment" not only misunderstands the violence that can happen in any bathroom, but also misunderstands the complexities of gender and reduces it to biology and is insulting to trans people. This initiative would make bathroom harassment a priority for business owners and make them aware of trans issues.

There are already many gender neutral facilities, both single-stall and multi-stall, that work just fine. This just makes it clear that people have the right to use the bathroom without fear, no matter if the bathroom is marked gender neutral or not.

Also, this would be the businesses decision to combat transphobic bathroom violence. I applaud these businesses who have already signed on and those that will do so.

[OnlyIfIHaveTo]

03:06 PM on 02/26/2011

If this isn't a joke, just use the term water closet. Works good enough in NY.

[tim skau]

01:03 PM on 02/26/2011

Yeah, sorry, as cool as I am with homosexuality I just don't think it's right for a guy to go into a woman's bathroom just because he prefers to dress like one. I think that just opens the doors for sexual deviants to have free reign to enter women's bathrooms and all they'd have to do is slap a wig and lipstick on.

[BorgDronez]

02:09 PM on 02/26/2011

I agree Tim.

[eve mahar]

09:03 PM on 02/26/2011

SO a "guy" who happens to be transgendered, wearing womens clothing as she normally does every day, should go into a men's restroom? Can you imagine how she would be treated? Sexual deviants can go into any bathroom and wait for a victim if they really want to. The "what ifs" are not a valid reason to allow discrimination and harassment to continue happening to our brothers and sisters.

[JFaye]

10:50 AM on 02/26/2011

This article does not adequately address the real objective or problem requiring trans-friendly bathrooms. Is the transgendered person looking for a "safe-place" avoiding bullies or homophobes who could cause physical harm?

Not to offend anyone, however I do not like using the bathroom after a man who swings his organ dry only to cause me to clean-up behind him to make the bathroom comfortable for me... and I am the mother of sons.

[arugularose]

10:40 PM on 02/26/2011

Well I don't like using it after a woman who holds herself off of the seat in a public restroom, pees all over it and leaves.

Public restrooms are public restrooms and they are not as comfy as your home bathroom. Take whatever discomfort you feel about this and multiply it by ten trillion to begin to get an idea of how hard it is for a gender-queer person to use public facilities.

My ex gf often was mistaken for a teenage boy because she has short hair and a slight frame. She doesn't like to use the *women's* room because she has been treated with so much hostility by other women before. Something many people commenting here can't imagine. Try if instead of dealing with some drops of urine on the seat you need to deal with a wall of angry hostility against you though you've done nothing wrong.

I applaud this initiative. Not just for people who are actually altering their gender id. For everyone who is different in their gender expression, this will be helpful.

[JFaye]

12:53 AM on 02/27/2011

It is still not clear if the "initiative" is to have a bathroom specifically marked for transgender individuals avoiding both the male or female facilities. If this is the objective, are we then asking an individual to publicly identify him or herself as transgender? Why not offer more non-gender facilities?

Your point is well made with inconsiderate women who stand over a seat and not bother to clean up behind themselves ... urine left by either sex is offensive. I don't look for comfort in public bathrooms... however cleanliness is extremely important to me.

[Luckylee218]

02:14 AM on 03/14/2011

Heck, I've been told that I look like Justin Bieber and have gotten dirty glares while washing my hands at the sink. I like my hair short and I'm not changing it. I can't help it that people miss my C-cups. lol Hence why I'd LOVE to see more gender-neutral bathrooms.

[Ravyn]

10:31 AM on 02/26/2011

I'm sorry, I don't want guys in the ladies room, even if they are transgender. If they've got male equipment, theyr men should go to the men's room. I've been in a ladies room at a club where a guy in drag - don't know if he was transgender or not - came in and was at the lavatory fixing his make-up and it was very uncomfortable/awkward for women who were in there who didn't want to adjust their clothes or whatever with him in there. If it is a single unisex bathroom where only one person at a time goes in, then it doesn't matter. I'm sorry but I'm old fashioned about this.

[eve mahar]

03:25 AM on 02/27/2011

is old fashioned supposed to be a euphmism for narrow minded bigot? Do you think that "guy in drag" would have been ok going into the MEN'S restroom to fix "his" make-up? I'm sure that would have gone over really well. Just because it makes you uncomfortable, doesn't mean it is ok to discriminate.

I have been with transgendered people as they agonized over which restroom to choose. Knowing that either way, they would get funny looks, rude comments, or even get into a physical altercation. Not really a fair situation when you just really need to pee.

[JFaye]

08:50 AM on 02/27/2011

Old-fashioned is not an euphemism for narrow minded and we should not so quickly apply labels when someone is trying to open their minds to understand.

[Ioan Lightoller]

06:58 PM on 02/27/2011

Wish I could fan you again. But will definitely fave. Some guy in drag fixing his make up is no danger to women. Maybe people need to start to get over their sex role stereotyping. And I would rather have him doing the make up thing in the ladies' than getting the hell beat out of him (or worse) in the men's room.

Excellent point. I see things all the time that make me uncomfortable..it does not give me the right to discriminate. The same for the rest of you out there.

[KIVPossum]

09:21 AM on 02/27/2011

Stop being so 'old fashioned'. Folks don't go into a toilet to watch you 'adjust your clothes or whatever'. I've been in uni-sex toilets and seen women changing their blouse - big deal, you see more on hupos entertainment section

[Ioan Lightoller]

07:02 PM on 02/27/2011

Amen to that! People need to understand it isn't always "all about them". Faved.

[JonB2057]

07:32 PM on 03/05/2011

"Stop being so 'old fashioned'­. Folks don't go into a toilet to watch you 'adjust your clothes or whatever'. I've been in uni-sex toilets and seen women changing their blouse - big deal, you see more on hupos entertainm­ent section"

You miss the point. Do you remember the outrage over the Bush administration allowing "Big Brother" to spy on us? It is a matter of privacy that is being dealt with here.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/16/AR2005121600021.html

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/07/23/new_churchcomm

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/opinion/02wed1.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10488458/ns/us_news-security/

[BorgDronez]

04:54 AM on 02/26/2011

This is another case of a societal minority trying to force their beliefs on everyone. Humans come in male and female. Transgende-red individuals created that state of being all on on their own. Because they won't commit to one of our 2 genders we have to create a third class of public restrooms?

It sounds like to high a burden is being placed on society. Male to female or female to male, plz commit to one. Society shouldn't have to accommodate in betweens that have chosen to be that way.

[eve mahar]

09:11 PM on 02/26/2011

a high burden, to give our fellow human beings dignity and allow them to use restrooms without being harassed or attacked? I think it's pretty basic and simple, myself.

[adcan49]

10:25 PM on 02/26/2011

Eve, allow me to become your newest fan! I read several of your comments on this thread alone, to other, shall I say ignorant ones, and you were a voice of compassion and reason. Well said!

[BorgDronez]

09:44 AM on 02/27/2011

If you think more attention to something most people don't consider a problem won't result in more harassment and attacks, you're naive. Drawing attention to this isn't going to have positive results.

I would never harass or attack anyone seeing as how my trips to the bathroom aren't social interactions, but other people aren't me...and extra attention I believe will make this issue worse. I guess we'll see though.

[arugularose]

10:41 PM on 02/26/2011

Many trans people *have* committed to one. That doesn't mean the hostility ends, unfortunately.

[BorgDronez]

09:52 AM on 02/27/2011

I have been educated already on this issue over twitter. I'm not ok with harassment or discrimination, but as I'm outside on this issue I just won't understand. Its not something that would happen to me, so I don't know what to say. I can understand that people will be very comfortable and I can also understand agonizing over which bathroom to use because you're worried about being harassed. However, I can see how drawing attention to something us outsiders never considered a problem will result in even more harassment. I apologize if I offended anyone with my earlier remarks. Peace

[BorgDronez]

09:57 AM on 02/27/2011

make that uncomfortable