AN ORDINANCE relating to gender identity and all-gender single-occupant restrooms in Seattle; amending the definition of “gender identity” in Sections 14.04.030, 14.06.020, 14.08.020, and 14.10.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code; amending the definition of “place of public accommodation” in Section 14.06.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code; amending Section 14.06.030 of the Seattle Municipal Code to clarify the right of individuals to use gender-specific facilities consistent with their gender identity; and adding a new Chapter 14.07 to the Seattle Municipal Code providing for all-gender restrooms in City-controlled buildings and places of public accommodation and prescribing enforcement procedures.
The bill passes and the chair will sign it. The report of the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee. Please read item six. The Report of the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee Agenda Item six Council Bill 118455. Relating to gender, gender identity and all gender single occupant restrooms in Seattle amending the definition of gender identity in sections 14.0 4.030 14.0 6.020. 14.0 8.020 and 14.1 0.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code amending the definition of place of Public Accommodation and Section 14.0 6.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code, meaning Section 14.0 6.030 of the Seattle Municipal Code to clarify the right of individuals to use gender specific facilities consistent with their gender identity, and adding a new Chapter 14.07 to the Seattle Municipal Code providing for all gender restrooms in city control buildings and places of public accommodation and prescribing enforcement procedures. The committee recommends the bill pass. Thank you, Councilmember Harrell. Thank you very much. We've asked Councilmember Godden to lead us through this discussion. She's been running point on this from the committee's perspective. So I'll defer to Councilmember Jean Gordon. The member Gorton. I am so very pleased today to bring this before the council legislation that will do two things. It will bring Seattle up to national best practices in terms of language that we use around gender diversity. And it will bring all gender restrooms to Seattle to create a more inclusive city. Any single small restroom throughout the city will be required to have an all gender sign. I will note that there is flexibility around the signage so as not to put an unnecessary burden on businesses. Everyone, regardless of gender, deserves the ability to meet their most basic needs. All gender single bathrooms are practical and help ensure everyone has access to a quality life. The small step represents acceptance and freedom for many, and I am so proud. Seattleites are dedicated to pursuing equality and eliminating inequality wherever it exists. And we urge passage of this. Thank you. Questions or comments? Councilmember Hill. I'd like to thank Councilmember Gordon for her leadership on this legislation. I am very proud to support this. I want to thank the LGBTQ community leaders. The commission for not only pushing the issue, but sort of talking about the larger issues and to why. To me, this is much larger than restrooms. I read something that Senator Jamie Peterson wrote about, I think today on in Olympia, his resolution about anti-bullying. I think what this recognized is just a larger conversation about acceptance. I think many of us and I literally mean that many of us grew up at a time where we were teased, we were bullied. We were harassed. And I'm hopeful that our city becomes a city known for its compassion and known for its inclusiveness. So for me, it's a it's a symbol of more than just restrooms. It's a step toward this conversation that is long overdue. And then from a practical standpoint, on the restrooms, one thing I brought up at committee is small restaurants, for example. Sometimes they'll have a fancy picture of one person or one gender and another one. And so maybe the city could do some creative things going down the road to come up with like a sticker or something to make it very easy. So we're going to be creative on how we certainly ease the impact on small businesses. But I'm very proud to support this because it's, again, a part of a larger discussion of inclusiveness that again is long overdue. So I'm very proud to sponsor and help support this legislation. Thank you. Council members want. Thank you and thank you to all the council members who worked on this. I'm very happy to have the opportunity to vote for gender neutral bathrooms today. I firstly, I think it is important to recognize the tireless work of all the LGBTQ rights activists who struggle and daily responsible for what we are voting on today. Thank you so much. Some of you are sitting here in this room. I really appreciate it. And I also appreciate a lot of the effort by all of you to connect LGBTQ issues to worker issues and pointing out that they are interrelated and fighting for one requires fighting for the other. You all have also helped me organize a town hall earlier this year about ending hate crimes on the LGBTQ community. And after that town hall, we were very happy that the mayor created a task force that many of you were part of, and you've helped push for many important recommendations to make Make Seattle a place that is welcoming and accessible and affordable to LGBTQ people. Gender neutral bathrooms definitely provide a basic level of dignity that all people are have the right to, trans people have the right to, otherwise the rest of us take it for granted. But for the LGBTQ community, it hasn't been provided as a right. And I think that's extremely critical that we restart on that basis. And as Marsha Barger put it very eloquently, we just want to get go, go to the bathroom and do our business. I really appreciate that. I really appreciate the humanity of what you said. And to be able to go to the restroom without facing verbal abuse or worse should be a basic human right for everyone. We also recognize that it's only a small step, and the far bigger demand of the LGBTQ community is to address the whole spectrum of rights of the LGBTQ community, including having a city funded community center that will be a safe place for LGBTQ youth and homeless people to go to. Thank you. Thank you. Please call the role on the passage of the bill. Berkshire Garden i harrell. I. Lakota. I. O'Brien. I. Okamoto. I. So want I am president Burgess I Aden favor and unopposed. The bill passes and the chair will sign it. I know many of you are here for the Select Committee on Affordable Housing. We have four items to go and then we'll be finished. The Report of the Housing Affordability, Human Services and Economic Resiliency Committee. Please read item seven through the first semicolon.