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The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to expand its commitment to making all-gender restrooms increasingly available in County owned and leased buildings. The County has already converted 4,200 single occupancy restrooms to all-gender restrooms.

Tuesday’s motion, authored by Supervisors Kuehl and Solis, calls for an expansion of that commitment to include the County’s significant ongoing capital projects, deferred maintenance programs, and real estate leases. Collectively, these include approximately 5,000 buildings, structures and public facilities.

In 2013, a survey conducted by UCLA’s Williams Institute indicated that 70 percent of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals reported being verbally harassed, denied access or physically assaulted in public restrooms.

“The County can and should do all we can to create safe and accessible spaces for all our residents,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. “Gender-neutral restrooms benefit transgender and gender non-conforming people who are often subject to verbal harassment and physical assault when using single-sex bathrooms. They are also a great help to moms and dads supervising small children of the opposite gender, and people with disabilities who are attended by an aide of the opposite gender.”

“Three years ago, this Board of Supervisors approved a travel ban to North Carolina which had barred people from using public bathrooms that did not correspond to their biological sex at birth,” said Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, referring to a motion she authored, and Supervisor Kuehl co-authored, in 2016. “LA County has long been on the forefront of safeguarding the liberty and dignity of all people, including those who identify differently than the biological sex assigned to them at birth. Today’s motion enables us to work towards making every restroom in LA County buildings gender neutral. By creating more equitable spaces in County facilities, we can better support County employees in the workplace and further promote inclusivity for all County residents we serve.”