Video: West Hollywood’s gender-neutral restrooms

June marks Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month in the United States. And while Time magazine declared 2014 as the transgender tipping point, 2015 has brought even more social changes for transgender men and women.

This year, President Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to say the word “transgender” during a State of the Union address. Last month Smith College, a women’s college, said that it will admit transgender students.

One area of transgender rights that has also been in the spotlight concerns public bathrooms.

Legislators from Arizona to Florida have proposed laws that would make it illegal for anyone to use a public bathroom that isn’t designated for that individual’s birth gender. So far, these laws haven’t gained much traction.

At the same time, an increasing number of universities, school districts and cities across the United States are considering the inclusion of gender-neutral bathrooms. Even the White House has opened the door to unisex bathrooms.

This year, West Hollywood became the first city in California to enact an ordinance that requires businesses to make all single-stall bathrooms gender-neutral. FSRN’s Lena Nozizwe files this video report.

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