Saturday, March 10, 2012

Saturday scenes and scenery: Accessible bathrooms

Bathrooms are where people whose gender is not immediately obvious on first glance most frequently experience other people's gender anxiety. Humans apparently are something like hard-wired to want to know which gender anyone we meet might be, especially in the a public restroom. This can be hard on people whose gender is not immediately obvious -- and, as a woman, I don't think women are completely crazy to want to know there aren't men in "our bathroom." Stray males can be dangerous.

The ACLU of Northern California has a solution:
1male-female.jpg
Here's the door to one of two restrooms on a floor.

2-signs.jpg
Just in case you are icon-challenged, this hangs alongside the door. Apparently we can be trusted to know what the wheelchair icon means.

3ACLU-explains.jpg
This sign explains.

4women.jpg
Should this seem all too much, there's always this one down the hall.

I like it. It's going to take awhile, but I suspect most of us could get used to this inclusive set up.

No comments: