Calllaris Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/09/politics/white-house-all-gender-bathroom/ http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/white-house-gender-neutral-bathroom-116779.html President Barack Obama’s staff and visitors now have the option of using a gender-neutral restroom, a White House spokesman said Wednesday — the latest in a series of symbolic steps the Obama administration has taken to work the priorities of the LGBT community into its broader themes of inclusiveness and tolerance. The newly designated restroom is an example of how the administration has been advancing the discussion by raising the profile of transgender issues, an area of debate that is especially hotly contested right now. The restroom will be located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where much of the White House staff works. “An all-gender restroom is also available in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which provides guests and staff an additional option,” said White House spokesman Jeff Tiller. It’s a follow-up on Obama’s executive order, which went into effect Wednesday, banning discrimination against gay and transgender employees of companies that contract with the federal government. “The White House allows staff and guests to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity, which is in keeping with the administration’s existing legal guidance on this issue and consistent with what is required by the executive order that took effect today for federal contractors,” Tiller also noted. The move advances a theme of openness Obama has been trying to promote in recent years, as he has elevated the concerns of gay and lesbian Americans to a level of moral urgency similar to that of the most prominent civil rights issues on the national agenda. Besides his most famous gesture — his endorsement of same-sex marriage — Obama also captured attention when he saluted the struggles of gay Americans in his speech last month in Selma, Alabama, marking the 50th anniversary of one of the most important marches of the civil rights movement. In a passage about how Americans have always embraced social change, Obama declared: “We’re the gay Americans whose blood ran in the streets of San Francisco and New York, just as blood ran down this bridge.” Obama also used the word “transgender” in this year’s State of the Union address, the first time a president has used the word in such a prominent speech. The administration has tried to advance LGBT issues at a nuts-and-bolts policy level, too: it announced last year that Medicare would start covering sex-reassignment surgery. On Wednesday, White House officials tried to keep that momentum going by promoting the LGBT executive order. White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett lauded the order in an op-ed in the Advocate, a magazine focused on LGBT issues. “The president is determined to lead by example,” Jarrett wrote. “He has hired more openly LGBT Americans to serve in his administration than any other in history. And we have closely examined our internal policies on everything from benefits, to restroom access, to how we invite people to events, to ensure that everyone who enters this building feels safe and fully respected.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calllaris Posted April 10, 2015 Author Share Posted April 10, 2015 This is very practical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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