Councilor Dunphy previews ordinance to make single‑stall public restrooms all‑user; broad public support voiced

Councilor Dan Dunphy on Oct. 7 previewed a proposed city ordinance that would require existing single‑stall restrooms in places of public accommodation to be designated “all‑user,” and the committee heard testimony from legal staff and community advocates in favor of the change.

Nut graf: Dunphy described a decade‑long local effort to convert single‑stall, gendered restrooms to all‑user facilities, said the city previously converted hundreds of city‑owned restrooms, and asked the committee for feedback before filing formal legislation. Legal staff advised a model based on Seattle’s ordinance, using city enforcement letters rather than a private right of action; community speakers described minimal cost and significant public‑health and safety benefits.

Background and scope: Councilor Dunphy traced the policy’s history to a 2015 council resolution (Resolution No. 37175, Dec. 17, 2015) that directed conversion of single‑stall restrooms on city property. He said…