(1)The general assembly finds and
declares that:
(a)It is a matter of statewide concern to promote the public welfare by
providing access to non-gendered restroom facilities that are convenient for people
of all genders, including those outside the gender binary;
(b)The lack of adequate restroom facilities leads to unsafe and inequitable
conditions for Colorado children, families, and communities. Experts from health
providers to faith leaders, including the occupational safety and health
administration, stress the need for single occupancy non-gendered restrooms and
multiple-occupant or multiple-stalled non-gendered restrooms to be accessible for
all employees and individuals. The lack of accessibility to restroom facilities that
are consistent with an individual's gender id
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(1) The general assembly finds and
declares that:
(a) It is a matter of statewide concern to promote the public welfare by
providing access to non-gendered restroom facilities that are convenient for people
of all genders, including those outside the gender binary;
(b) The lack of adequate restroom facilities leads to unsafe and inequitable
conditions for Colorado children, families, and communities. Experts from health
providers to faith leaders, including the occupational safety and health
administration, stress the need for single occupancy non-gendered restrooms and
multiple-occupant or multiple-stalled non-gendered restrooms to be accessible for
all employees and individuals. The lack of accessibility to restroom facilities that
are consistent with an individual's gender identity singles out those individuals and
can result in experiences of harassment and cause those individuals to avoid
restrooms entirely, which can lead to potentially serious physical injury or illness.
Access to non-gendered restrooms has far-reaching benefits for parents caring for
a child, including parents with young children who need to access a baby diaper
changing station and individuals with disabilities who have a caretaker of a
different gender to assist them.
(c) Men's restrooms and single-stall restrooms typically do not provide baby
diaper changing stations. This creates accessibility inequity for parents and care
providers who do not identify as women or who may not be comfortable using
women's restrooms and creates potential health and safety problems for babies.
Without clean and safe baby diaper changing stations, these care providers may be
forced to resort to unsafe and unsanitary locations, such as restroom floors, to
change babies' diapers. Requiring equitable access to amenities in public restrooms
would make it easier for parents and care providers of all genders to find a safe and
suitable place to change babies' diapers. Providing safe, reliable, and clean baby
diaper changing stations in all restroom facilities enables better caretaking for
infants by all parents and care providers and safer conditions for infants.
(d) Requiring all single-stall restrooms to be designated for use by any
gender reduces wait times and increases comfort and accessibility for care
providers and people receiving care, individuals with diverse gender expressions,
and LGBT individuals. For LGBT individuals or individuals with diverse gender
expressions, using gendered facilities can pose health and safety issues stemming
from experiences of harassment and physical threats in gendered facilities
regardless of which gendered facility they use or their physical presentation. Due to
these experiences and associated stigma, some people avoid using public
restrooms whenever possible and may refrain from eating, drinking, or relieving
themselves for extended periods of time in order to avoid gendered facilities.
Delaying or avoiding using the restroom can have physical health implications.
(e) The I.P.C. includes two amendments regarding non-gendered restrooms.
One amendment requires signage on single-stall restrooms to indicate that they are
open to any user regardless of gender. The other amendment allows the creation of
non-gendered multi-stall designs with shared sinks and each toilet in a private
compartment.
(f) The I.P.C. also requires that single-stall restrooms be identified for use by
all individuals regardless of sex and allows for multi-user facilities to serve all
genders. The Colorado state architect adopts codes for construction at all state-owned buildings and facilities and has adopted the 2021 edition of the international
building code.