Came across this incredibly important petition on bluesky. Bathroom access is a disability issue, but more than that, while it would be bad enough if they were "just" going after trans people, we need to remember that they use trans people as a gateway to erode all womens rights, all queer peoples rights, all gender non conforming peoples rights, the rights of everybody who does not fit into the perfect white abled neurotypical ideal.

The sheer amount of times I as a cis disabled sapphic woman was harassed by TERFs for not fitting into their woman ideal...

This sign was hanging outside a bathroom at a California rest stop. I wish that the Honda Center had as much common sense at the Rob Zombie/Alice Cooper concert last year.

That means parents of infants, children, disabled, trans and nonbinary people.

Women's restrooms are often the only ones with diaper changing facilities. A single father should be allowed to change his infant anywhere there are infant changing facilities- including a women's restroom.

If an accessible stall is in use/under repair in the men's room- disabled men should be allowed to use the accessible stall in the women's restroom.

Young boys who need to be accompanied by a female caretaker to the bathroom should be allowed to use the women's restroom.

And trans people should be allowed to use their own best judgment to determine which facility is safest for them.

Sincerly someone who's tired of nearly eating shit everytime they watch a house/travel

Please note: this is specific to my experiences with bathrooms as an amputee, other people may have different experiences

1. Rough Bottomed Bathtub/Floor

It's such a small thing, but a rough bottomed bathtub really is better for grip than stick on grips, especially those stupid grip mats which have been THE CAUSE of my nearly eating shit. The suction cups for the grips can and often do slide around on a smooth bottomed bathtub. Even just slightly roughed up tiles or smaller tiles would help in a bathroom with tiled floor for everyone involved. When my able-bodied friend and I went to Iceland, one of the hostel bathrooms had floor tiles so smooth, my friend nearly slipped and hurt herself on them.

2. Drill a Grip Bar into the Wall

That right I said DRILL, not those shitty suction on bars, those SUCK. I honestly don't know why this isn't fucking standard for bathrooms, it's even an advantage to able-bodied people to have a bar to hold onto or grab in case you slip in the bathtub. A bar in the wall to stabilize you is such a simple, safe thing to add.

3. Handle Faucets

You know those faucets that's like a twisty turny little elephant trunk handles? Those are best for the shower, they offer an easy grip and since most of them only need to be pushed down to stop the water they're better for, like, not having to twist the knob as hard as you can to stop the water pressure. Idk, but I have these stupid doorknob shaped faucets at my house that are difficult to grab, often slip out of my wet hands, and overall just don't work well.

4. Medium Level Soap/Shampoo Nook

Almost every house I've been to with a special nook for soap has the nook placed high so a person standing can see it. Cool, that doesn't work if you're sitting on a fucking chair, or if you're short, or even if you're a fucking kid. I can't reach the high up soap nook without standing up on my chair which is dangerous for me! The nook doesn't need to be at your knees of anything, but I think about waist height for the average person should be reasonable for everyone to reach the soap/shampoo at most heights.

5. Shower Heads on a Hose

These are honestly the best shower heads to work with, you can keep them up high on their perch or take them down to reach your harder to reach places, or just focus on certain areas. They're also nice for people who are taller than the average shower hose height.

6. I shouldn't have to fucking say this but Drill your Shower Rod into the fucking wall

This is what ispired me to make this post rn, don't use a fucking tension rod for the shower curtain. If someone slips getting out of the tub and grabs the shower curtain by instinct, it's better that the shower curtain maybe rip a little from your weight than the whole fucking rod and curtain to come toppling down together adding more danger to the situation. Also I'm too damn short to put your fucking curtain rod back in it's place Rochelle.

7. Put the Towel Rod next to where you exit the Shower

This one also should be obvious but I had a house I watched with a beautiful and actually fairly accessible remodeled bathroom with the towel rod BEHIND the swinging glass shower door. I had to awkwardly hobble around the door holding it to grab the towel so I could sit down to dry myself off.

These are just some basic tips that most houses can do (whether you're remodeling a bathroom or you know someone building a fucking house) and something ALL hotels/motel/travel stay places SHOULD do to make their bathrooms more accessible at the very least. Anything more would be consider adding a built in chair so one can sit while they shower but I understand this can be expensive, however shower chairs are relatively cheap and honestly disabled or not, it's just nice to sometimes sit while you're in the shower. This however is an acception to places with communal bathrooms (like hostels) you MUST have an accessible bathroom! Again these are based on my own experiences as an amputee who needs a shower stool so safely take a shower.

Because we lack this language, because of our internalized self-hatred and shame in our bodies, the politics of the bathroom—a potentially transgressive and liminal site—have not been given priority within the mainstream gay rights movement. This inattention has particularly strong real-life effects on disabled and genderqueer folks. The need for a safe, dignified, usable place to pee is a vital, but too seldom addressed, issue.

Image of a mid-sized transitional utility room with a single-wall vinyl floor, a brown floor, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, terra-cotta backsplash, multicolored walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer, and white countertops.

Inspiration for a one-story, transitional, mid-sized home with a concrete fiberboard gable roof.