SANTA FE, N.M.- Some businesses in New Mexico may be forced to get rid of bathrooms that are designated for males or females. House Bill 388 requires that single-occupant restrooms in any establishment providing services, facilities, or goods to the public – be labeled with a gender-neutral sign.
Democratic Rep. Angelica Rubio is sponsoring the bill.
“I think what people don’t realize is that restrooms are policed pretty harshly, so when you have people who are transgender, who are non-binary or gender neutral, it makes it really difficult for them and there is research out there that up to 70 percent of people who are transgender have actually faced violence because of the fact that they walked into a restroom that people had issues with,” Rubio said.
If the bill becomes law, businesses would have to pay for the new gender-neutral signs on single-occupant restrooms.
Rubio insists the cost would be minimal, about $5 dollars per gender-neutral sign.
“This means that any place with just two bathrooms, one for men and women, it just basically opens up for everybody,” Rubio said. “We see it in airplanes, we see it in a lot of different places."
During floor debate in the House, a Republican questioned why the bill is needed.
“I have rarely ever seen a proposed bill in which I received not a comment, a letter, an email, a postcard supporting the idea and it makes me quite nervous about whether or not New Mexicans really need the passage of this bill or not,” said Rep. Phelps Anderson.
The bill passed in the House and will go to the Senate for consideration.
Track House Bill 388 during the legislative session
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