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D.C. launches trans-friendly ‘Safe Bathrooms’ campaign
City to enforce little-known law requiring gender-neutral rest rooms
One of the D.C. Office of Human Rights’ advertisements for the Safe Bathrooms campaign. (Image courtesy of the DCOHR)
The D.C. Office of Human Rights on Thursday launched a city-funded campaign to step up enforcement of a little known law that requires single-occupancy bathrooms in restaurants and other businesses to be gender neutral.
OHR spokesperson Elliot Imse said the law and its implementing regulations are aimed at making it easier for transgender people and others to safely access public bathrooms.
“The District requires all single-occupancy bathrooms at restaurants, businesses or other public places to be gender-neutral, without labels such as ‘male’ or ‘female,’” a statement released by the OHR says.
“While in the past, non-compliant bathrooms could be reported to OHR through a lengthy form, now community members can alert OHR by tweeting the business name and location using the hashtag #safebathroomsDC, or by submitting a short five question form on the OHR website,” the statement says.
OHR Director Monica Palacios presided over an official launch ceremony for the campaign on Thursday at Casa Ruby, the LGBT community center at 2822 Georgia Ave., N.W. Casa Ruby reaches out to the transgender and Latino LGBT community.
Palacios and other OHR officials unveiled at the ceremony what they called “a series of attention-grabbing advertisements” with the tagline: “Public bathrooms are challenging enough. Help make them a bit easier for our transgender community.”
“Although the campaign advertisements are focused on the benefit of gender-neutral bathrooms to the transgender and gender non-conforming community, people with personal attendants of the opposite gender and parents with children of the opposite gender also frequently benefit from gender-neutral bathrooms,” the statement says.
Further information about the advertisements and the gender-neutral bathroom requirements can be accessed at ohr.dc.gov/bathrooms.
WorldPride 2025 concluded with the WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert held along Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. on Sunday, June 8. Performers on the main stage included Doechii, Khalid, Courtney Act, Parker Matthews, 2AM Ricky, Suzie Toot, MkX and Brooke Eden.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Celebrating the transgender community, Baltimore Safe Haven, an organization committed to empowering LGBTQ individuals in Baltimore City, plans to host their fourth annual Baltimore Trans Pride on Saturday.
Instead of the usual parade and march, this year’s Trans Pride will be a block party on Charles Street and between 21st and 22nd Streets. The event will start at 1 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and last until 10 p.m.
Community members can go on guided tours, enjoy refreshments by local vendors, listen to presenters, and watch performances by special guests.
Sukihana, the event’s headliner, plans to take to the stage to entertain the crowd, along with a variety of local performers, according to Melissa Deveraux, Baltimore Safe Haven’s executive assistant to Executive Director Iya Dammons.
“Some (are) prominently known, some (are) just making a name for themselves,” Deveraux said. Iya is always making sure that community talent is showcased at all of our functions.”
In company with Pride on Saturday, Baltimore Safe Haven will be opening its new building on Friday from 1-4 p.m.
“That is sort of going to be the prelude to pride,” Lau said. “Thanks to Sen. Mary Washington and the Weinberg Foundation, we were able to purchase the building outright, and it’s going to be a community hub of administrative buildings and 12-bedroom apartments.”
Renee Lau, administrative assistant for special projects coordinator for Baltimore Safe Haven, said the planning process for Baltimore Trans Pride began in January, and putting it all together was a collaboration of multiple city agencies and organizations.
“Safe Haven is an LGBT community organization, but we service the entire community, and that’s the message we try to spread,” Lau said. “We’re not just here for the LGBT community. We’re here to spread goodwill and offer harm reduction and housing to the entire community.”
Lau said the organization’s biggest goal for the event is to gain exposure.
“(We want) to let and let people know who we are and what our community is about,” she said. “Right now, because of what’s happening in DC, there’s a lot of bad untruths going on, and the total thing is bringing out the truth.”
Deveraux said having a place of inclusivity, acceptance, and togetherness is important in today’s political climate and the current administration.
“This event will have people seeing the strength and resilience of the transgender community, showing that no matter what we are going through, we still show up,” Deveraux said. “We are here, we will not be erased.”
The 2025 WorldPride Parade was held in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 7. Laverne Cox and Renée Rapp were the grand marshals.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key and Robert Rapanut)
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