Gender-Neutral Restroom Bill Goes To Governor For Signature

Gov.  J.B. Pritzker’s signature would ensure that single-occupancy public restrooms in Illinois will be gender neutral.

The bill was approved by the Senate in April and a few days ago by the House of Representatives.

Kim Hunt is executive director of the Pride Action Tank, which advocated for the measure.

“It brings me a great deal of joy that we live in a state where legislators get it, and that’s not the case in many others,’’ she said,

The measure will update the state’s plumbing code, which specifies that restrooms be labeled by specific gender.

Illinois is poised to become the third state in the nation to require that dingle-occupancy restrooms in all public buildings be gender neutral.

The bill will help transgender individuals avoid harassment, said Hunt.

“The thing we recognize is that while this is important to the transgender/gender-nonconforming community, it’s also important to parents and people who have health caregivers to have access to restrooms that aren’t marked by gender.”

Copyright 2021 NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS. To see more, visit NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS.