"L.A. looks to amend city ordinance to allow transgender bathroom access at parks"

latimes.com

"In a show of support for transgender people, the Los Angeles City Council has introduced a motion aimed at amending an ordinance that would allow transgender people to use city park bathrooms that match their gender identity.

Written by Councilman Mitch O’Farrell and co-written by council members Mike Bonin and Nury Martinez, the council’s action on Wednesday was the first step in expanding bathroom access rights for the transgender community in Los Angeles, beginning with park facilities.

The motion comes in observance of LGBT Heritage Month, which recognizes the contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. It also comes ahead of this weekend’s annual L.A. Pride festival in West Hollywood.

'Our federal and state leaders have acted to create a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for our transgender community,' O’Farrell said. 'With this motion, we will continue on Los Angeles’ progressive path of protecting those who are historically among the most marginalized in society.'

City officials say their action was also in response to a state bill that would require single-use bathrooms in any business, public space or government agency to become gender neutral.  The legislation, known as AB 1732, was introduced by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and passed in the Assembly last month. It is awaiting approval in the Senate."