Hoboken’s change to gender-neutral bathrooms applies to 2 bathrooms

HOBOKEN — Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla will sign an executive order on Wednesday, April 25 at a public 11 a.m. press conference, to make “all city-owned single-occupancy restrooms” gender neutral. This applies to only two bathrooms — a pair of single-occupancy bathrooms in City Hall — confirmed city spokesman Santiago Melli-Huber on Tuesday.
The city said they will change the signage for those two bathrooms in about five weeks.
Single-occupancy restrooms are bathrooms with one toilet and no separate stalls.
Melli-Huber said in an email, “I believe all other city-owned bathrooms (in parks, etc) are multi-occupancy.”
In a press release about the executive order, Bhalla said, “Former Mayor Zimmer took a step in the right direction last year when she announced that people could use the public restrooms that most closely matched their gender identity. This next step is meant to further protect the civil rights and dignity of our transgender, gender non-binary, and queer residents and visitors, but this is just the start. I will continue to introduce progressive and inclusive policies to protect all residents.”
The executive order will take effect at the time of signing immediately following the public press conference.
The release noted that signs on all city-owned single-occupancy restrooms [which means both of them] will be replaced to reflect this change by May 31, 2018, prior to the start of June, which is LGBT Pride Month.