Does everyone feel safe to use the bathrooms in your congregation? The UUA Multicultural Ministries has just released a brand new resource page with sample signs, articles, and a list of easy options for gender neutral bathrooms to extend your welcoming congregation one more important step.
Here’s an excerpt from their page:
“Unitarian Universalism is a religion that strives to be fully welcoming and inclusive of all—people of all identities, life situations, and life stages. Having building space with bathroom facilities that are ADA-accessible and open to people of any gender, or “gender neutral,” is a big step that congregations can take toward full welcome and inclusion.
Who Benefits from Gender Neutral Bathrooms?
- People who are uncomfortable in men’s or women’s rooms for many reasons; for example, people who are not women or men and/or people who are gender nonconforming (see Identity 101 for more)
- Parents/caregivers whose children are a different gender from them
- People with caregivers or personal attendants who are a different gender from them
- Other people may also benefit specifically from single-occupancy bathrooms, such as people who are extremely introverted, people who are breastfeeding or have other needs for privacy, and so on
Thinking of turning one or more bathrooms gender neutral? Be sure to create well-facilitated opportunities for staff, members, friends, and children to learn about why gender neutral bathrooms are important to your congregation and dialogue about any concerns they may have.”
Those at General Assembly 2013 all learned about gender neutral bathrooms by reading the informational flyer posted inside each of the stalls. The flyer included a QR code that cleverly gave folks a link to more information by scanning with their smart phones. Feel free to modify this flyer for your own congregation.
Visit the new resource page at http://www.uua.org/lgbtq/welcoming/ways/289449.shtml for support in creating safe bathrooms for all at your congregation.