New Buildings in Highland Park Will Need Gender Neutral Bathrooms

Highland Park finally made it official Monday: The city council unanimously approved a measure that requires single-occupancy restrooms in new city buildings to be designated gender neutral, the Chicago Tribune reports.

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The measure affects those types of public bathrooms in buildings receiving permits beginning May 1, according to the report. These restrooms would feature signs labeling them "gender neutral" or "all gender," the report stated.

Highland Park's initiative will not affect existing businesses, but city officials are encouraging them to modify their single-occupancy bathrooms to follow suit. The ordinance also does not apply to multi-stall restrooms, the report stated.

Mayor Nancy Rotering has spearheaded the city's effort, bringing up the topic of gender-neutral public bathrooms citywide March 21 at the city council's Committee of the Whole meeting. The ordinance is a way "to protect an individual’s choice to use public restrooms that most closely align with their gender."

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“This initiative was the result of conversations with a number of individuals in the community, particularly youth,” Rotering stated in a city press release last month. “I am proud to work with a team of elected officials and staff who are sensitive to the challenges and issues faced by individuals who do not identify with binary gender identities. This initiative builds on Highland Park’s history of being a safe and welcoming community.”

Highland Park's new ordinance also complies with the 2015 Illinois Human Rights Act, which make it "illegal to prohibit access to public accommodations on the basis of a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or sex," according to the city.

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