The city of Santa Monica is one of two cities sponsoring a bill that was just approved for multi-stall gender neutral bathrooms.
The bill was approved by the State Senate, 70-0, after a 54-0 vote in the Assembly. Once the governor signs it into law as expected, some unfamiliar faces maybe sharing your public restroom.
"The old model works for most people but there are situations where it might not work," said Ben Allen a California state senator from Santa Monica.
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In Sacramento, State Sen. Allen celebrated the passage of his bill that will allow multi-stall public restrooms open to all genders.
"Every community will be able to make up its mind for itself if they want to do this or not," Allen said.
West Hollywood first brought the idea to Allen.
"It's really about inclusion," said Sepi Shyne mayor pro-tem in West Hollywood.
While the new aquatic and recreation center was under construction, West Hollywood councilmembers Shyne and John Erickson decided a change there needed to be a change.
The San Jose Unified School District implemented a similar change a few years ago with all-gender bathrooms.
"People with disabilities with opposite sex caretakers, same sex parents, and single parents of opposite sex children, our transgender binary, and non-conforming binary folks," Shyne said. "This is actually safer. There are compartments, full top to bottom, the fact that there are more people there and more eyes provides more safety."
This will be up to each local government to decide what they want to do and all of the new gender public restrooms' can be part of new or renovated construction.
