ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando has installed the first multi-stall, all-user restroom in a government building in the state of Florida, according to the mayor's office.
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The public restroom will help people with disabilities who need help from a person of another gender, parents with children of different genders, and transgender and nonconforming individuals.
City officials say they have been working on the project for some time and worked with organizations to make sure it's a place where everyone is welcome.
"One special thing about it is also the types of doors, so it's a door that is from the ceiling to floor, so people have lots of privacy. It has two stalls, and one other stall that's handicap accessible, and (there's) also a baby-changing table,” said Felipe Sousa Matos Rodriguez, Orlando's inclusion, diversity and equity senior specialist.
The plans for the all-user restroom were unveiled in August in Mayor Buddy Dyer's 2018 State of the City address.
According to the city, the goal with installing the restroom is to "create accessible, comfortable and safe places for those who work in and visit City Hall."
A 2015 study conducted by the National Center for Transgender Rights says 59 percent of transgender adults across the country avoided using a public bathroom in fear of discrimination.
The city said it's joining a national movement to create "all-user restrooms" in city halls to be inclusive of all gender identities and gender expressions.