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](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tjz07Kw1mXNhM9hLscZl3S-ijXmxKthUB3rCs1kgEtt-FVPiK-ftCfUymctm96ciqGGRPVmb7viKJNtmgBXzlcaXmbTN0G6GggqWdX4hcNdTXIkeBnVU49b1bX7LPjHA8L=s0-d)
Here's the door to one of two restrooms on a floor.
![2-signs.jpg](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sd42Mn58Foe0vGWeUUCE1TV1iljG8E9n6puUYkRO25d5TGHqI3uhSuKGosQswrafx-KZXTXCDc8YktjnBAf-L63OLZx6LjFGVrHX9rvVaxfzLsDe-TDhWGByr6SY-vxsj-=s0-d)
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](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t6uWJ0FwAmNZTspEB4Q0Mu54OXcWhmUHGBClDIwsHAOPbuzlEQcbr0Jqy-95IRbLkyaFStlSIB-tNGJUuBQ7am6ItjYSlCaVjU-Ewqv6w_jABP7fo2vRmTtfIdeoDOPrI=s0-d)
This sign explains.
![4women.jpg](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uJzn8Uvagbcm9diSIlcDF-SOU7nJ0IX4ysxaDAKgyU_VLlQu3GFaHBLLiRqyDm-na5j-d-bhR_AWEk6IARpFu6UBP60H6HiiVao186kgg7LIDyY-rdCo0XPHZyM3ov24bv=s0-d)
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.
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