All one-person public bathrooms in Illinois must be labeled as gender-neutral under a law Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed on Friday, July 26.
The legislation goes into effect on Jan. 1 and prohibits signs outside of one-person public restrooms from designating a specific gender, according to a report by Chicago Tribune. Unanimously approved in the Senate, the measure was approved by a 109-5 vote in the House earlier this spring.
“Making single-occupancy restrooms gender neutral is inclusive, but it also just makes sense,” Democratic state Sen. Melinda Bush of Grayslake who sponsored the bill said in a statement, reported Chicago Tribune. “It’s a small change that will make a big impact for thousands of Illinoisans.”
The specific language of the bill states that “every single-occupancy restroom in a place of public accommodation or public building shall be identified as all-gender and designated for use by no more than one person at a time or for family or assisted use.”
The law also requires every single-occupancy restroom to have exterior signage not indicating any specific gender.
In 2017, former Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a law making it easier for people to change the sex on their birth certificates to better match their gender identity.
