Trans-Friendly Restrooms Sought in Chi.

Young activists in Chicago are asking business owners to commit to making public restrooms trans-friendly.

Under the T-Friendly Bathroom Initiative, this year 500 businesses and organizations will be asked to sign a pledge that they will allow gender-variant customers to use the restroom of their choice. Those signing the pledge will receive a window decal so that potential customers can easily identify them.

Kate Sosin, a project organizer and cofounder of Genderqueer Chicago, noted that while Illinois law prohibits discrimination against transgender people, they are still sometimes harassed and even subjected to violence when using the restroom that fits their identity. "We expect this will dramatically improve the way transgender people experience our city and state," she said in a press release posted by Windy City Times.

The initiative, led by youth organizers from Genderqueer Chicago, is endorsed by Join the Impact-Chicago, Equality Illinois, Video Action League, and others. For more information, click here.