Bill De Blasio Signs Order Allowing Transgender Community To Use Restrooms They Identify With

New York City is, once again, one of the first cities in the country to support change. On Monday, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order requiring NYC organizations to guarantee members of the transgender community access to restrooms consistent with their identity, True Colors Fund reported. “Access to bathrooms and other single-sex facilities is a fundamental human right that should not be restricted or denied to any individual,” de Blasio said. “Every New Yorker should feel safe in our city – and that starts with our city’s buildings.”

De Blasio’s new order will allow the 25,000 transgender, and gender nonconforming New Yorkers to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender without being questioned or humiliated. During the second season premiere of “I Am Cait,” Caitlyn Jenner, Candis Cayne, and the rest of the show’s cast discussed the subject, and most of them admitted to have accessed female restrooms but fear of being attacked, verbally and physically, still exists amongst the community.

During the signing, Make the Road New York member Bianey Garcia, described a situation in which she was asked not to use the ladies room. “That day I felt humiliated, but like so many others I didn’t think of making a complaint or telling anyone because of fear, frustration and disbelief. Access to the ladies bathroom is my right as a transgender woman, as a human being,” she said.

Across the country, LGBT advocates and conservatives continue to battle over non-discriminating laws. The Tennessean reports that state lawmakers are considering following New York’s example and approving the bill in schools, which is one of the exceptions made in the Big Apple.

“This bill allows schools to make single-stall restrooms available to students who aren’t comfortable using restrooms designated for their biological sex while also protecting the privacy rights of other students – especially children who have suffered sexual trauma in the past,” said Matt Sharp, a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom. “They are especially vulnerable to harm from exposure to unclothed members of the opposite sex.”

In California, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill in 2013 allowing students to play on sports teams and use the facilities that match their gender identities, the first state law of its kind.