Commotion surrounds Utrecht's decision for gender-neutral toilets

With reporting by Liam de Troch Utrecht's decision to implement gender-neutral toilets in its city hall and other municipal buildings, an accepted proposal by the D66, sparked quite the discussion on social media, the Telegraaf reports. “As if D66 hasn’t got anything better to do” and “when will politics treat cases that actually matter” are some remarks on social media. The party itself is convinced that this proposition will help the transgender commulnity. About one to five percent of city's the population don't feel unambiguously male or female. The proposition would have an influence on the lives of about a thousand Utrechters. Those people are – at each toilet visit- confronted with the fact that they don’t fit in with one of either bathroom choices. This leads to tensions because other visitors feel like the wrong toilet is being used, thus speaks the party. D66-leader Klaas Verschuure states : ‘ If we can help this group of people by adjusting the signs of the toilets, then I am of the opinion that this should be done ‘ If the experiences with the gender-neutral toilets are beneficial, the operation will be, in consultation, expanded to the municipal office and other municipal buildings. Utrecht is the first municipality with a gender-neutral toilet. The Amsterdam University College and the University Leiden have recently switched over to gender-neutral as well.