The “all-user” restrooms can be accessed by a person of any gender identity, including transgender people and gender non-conforming people. The restrooms will also benefit people with disabilities who need assistance by a caretaker.
“[This] will increase accessibility for transgender people and those with disabilities,” Dyer said Tuesday in his annual State of the City speech.
Almost 60 percent of transgender adults avoided using a public restroom because they were “afraid of confrontations or other problems they might experience,” according to a 2015 study from the National Center for Transgender Equality.
The new restrooms will be added on the second floor, near the men’s and women’s bathrooms that already exist.
Dyer says the plan shows the city’s commitment to equality and to “making Orlando a place where everybody is treated equally and everyone is welcomed.”
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This article appears in Aug 1-7, 2018.