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Gender-Neutral Washrooms May Be Coming To Calgary

"Why do they have gender on them if they're single stall anyway?"
A gender neutral bathroom is seen at a restaurant in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2016.A heated national debate over access to bathrooms by transgenders is sweeping the United States, with schools and businesses grappling with the issue that has become a hot topic in the presidential campaign. The so-called 'bathroom battle' erupted after North Carolina in March became the first US state to require transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings that match the sex on their birth certificate, rather than the gender by which they identify.Mississippi followed suit in April and a number of other conservative states and cities are mulling or have passed similar legislation. / AFP / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images
A gender neutral bathroom is seen at a restaurant in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2016.A heated national debate over access to bathrooms by transgenders is sweeping the United States, with schools and businesses grappling with the issue that has become a hot topic in the presidential campaign. The so-called 'bathroom battle' erupted after North Carolina in March became the first US state to require transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings that match the sex on their birth certificate, rather than the gender by which they identify.Mississippi followed suit in April and a number of other conservative states and cities are mulling or have passed similar legislation. / AFP / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

A Calgary councillor hopes to make all of the city's single-occupancy bathrooms gender neutral.

"The City of Calgary's Action Plan is moving Calgary towards a bold vision for the future by improving livability for people of all abilities and backgrounds, and by developing facilities and infrastructure that are accessible by all," reads a notice of motion put forward by Coun. Brian Pincott on Monday.

Pincott says he decided to put the motion forward after speaking with members of Calgary's LGBT community about how to make the city more inclusive for transgender residents.

“Unequivocally, they said without hesitation: washrooms,” Pincott told the Calgary Herald.

Pincott also wants to institute a policy for developing more gender neutral washrooms in city facilities in future.

Motion is 'logical:' Nenshi

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi is likely to vote in favour of Pincott's motion.

"Why do they have gender on them if they're single stall anyway? Everyone ought to be able to use them and that seems very logical to me," Nenshi said, according to Global News.

Calgary would be following in the footsteps of other Canadian cities including Edmonton, Regina and Vancouver.

“It just makes sense. It’s an easy step we can take to start moving us down this path as a city," said Pincott in an interview with Metro News.

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