Monday, June 13, 2005
Freedom to pee
This is a few days old now and has been all the rage as a 'nonsense' bill. I find that trying to legislate this kind of thing is destructive and petty:
- Now, therefore, the Council of the City of Philadelphia, at the behest of Councilman Frank Rizzo, wants you to know that the days of grave bathroom inequality could soon change.
Rizzo introduced a bill yesterday that would require two toilets for women for every one that men have in most places of public assembly (not including schools, hospitals or other buildings used for educational and health purposes).
Call it girl power in the form of potty parity.
- Rizzo's parity bill is similar to one signed into law earlier this week by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg - it would apply to most new construction, as well as places that are undergoing renovations in a 12-month period that cost more than 50 percent of a building's value.
Places of public assembly are defined in the bill as any arena, bar, concert hall, convention hall, movie theater, public dance hall, stadium, or theater open to the public.
- Though Rizzo did not broach the topic with Mayor Street before he introduced yesterday's bill, the mayor at his weekly session with reporters yesterday agreed that men's restrooms are typically underutilized while women's restroom are "overtaxed."
"It's really a problem," the mayor said.
But Street did not commit to Rizzo's bill, and instead said he believed that unisex facilities might be the way to go, since they are cheaper and easier to construct.
Asked about Street's comments, Rizzo said he's not hot on the proposal - there's too much potential for embarrassing situations.
"Women deserve privacy," Rizzo said. "I'm not too concerned about it, but I think most women would feel differently."
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