When county board chairman Jeff Cogen puts his signature on the executive order put before him this morning, he will be making history. Multnomah County is set to become one of the first counties in the country to require all single-occupancy, gender neutral restrooms in all new construction projects.
Timed to coincide with Pride Month, newly constructed buildings in Multnomah County will now include signs directing people to the locations of gender-neutral restrooms. According to The Oregonian, the new facilities "will be unchanged from the current single-occupancy restrooms but with no designation for "Men" or "Women.""
Chairman Cogen explains, "There is no doubt there there will be people who will be opposed to this. But for us, it's all about equity and fairness. It's about us walking our talk."
Multnomah County's victory for transgender equality stands in stark contrast to lawmakers in Arizona who recently introduced a bill requiring people to use gendered bathrooms as designated by the gender on their birth certificates. The proposed state law would be enforced by a six-month jail term.
(H/T: Dana Tims of The Oregonion)