Mapping North Carolina’s trans-friendly bathrooms
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Mapping North Carolina’s trans-friendly bathrooms
Some businesses in North Carolina are protesting a state law requiring trans people to only use public bathrooms that correspond to the gender on their birth certificates by making their bathrooms gender neutral. Now, there’s an easy way to find them.
One woman created a crowd-sourced map over the weekend, showcasing all the businesses that have trans-friendly bathrooms. As of Tuesday morning, she had more than 80 businesses listed.
North Carolina’s new law, which applies to single-sex bathrooms, overrides local nondiscrimination ordinances that protect LGBT people from being discriminated against in housing and public places. It’s drawn protest from New York State officials, who have banned state employees from “nonessential travel” to North Carolina. The law is also facing a federal lawsuit from transgender people who said the new law threatens their personal safety.
The bathroom map’s creator Emily Waggoner supports their argument; her map is titled “Safe bathrooms.” Waggoner is a web designer who grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and her partner is trans, according to Buzzfeed. She said she was inspired by local businesses who posted images of their trans-friendly bathroom policies on Instagram. She’s continuing to collect locations, via social media and through email, to add to the map.
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