Women legislators fight for 'potty parity'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: ABC News/AP

July 26, 2025, 12:02 AM


For female state lawmakers in Kentucky, choosing when to go to the bathroom has long required careful calculation. There are only two bathroom stalls for women on the third floor of the Kentucky Statehouse, where the House and Senate chambers are located. Female legislators — 41 of the 138 member Legislature — needing a reprieve during a lengthy floor session have to weigh the risk of missing an important debate or a critical vote.

None of their male colleagues face the same dilemma because, of course, multiple men’s bathrooms are available. The Legislature even installed speakers in the men's bathrooms to broadcast the chamber’s events so they don't miss anything important. In a pinch, House Speaker David Osborne allows women to use his single stall bathroom in the chamber, but even that attracts long lines.

“You get the message very quickly: This place was not really built for us,” said Rep. Lisa Willner, a Democrat from Louisville, reflecting on the photos of former lawmakers, predominantly male, that line her office. The issue of potty parity may seem comic, but its impact runs deeper than uncomfortably full bladders, said Kathryn Anthony, professor emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s School of Architecture.

“It’s absolutely critical because the built environment reflects our culture and reflects our population,” said Anthony, who has testified on the issue before Congress. “And if you have an environment that is designed for half the population but forgets about the other half, you have a group of disenfranchised people and disadvantaged people.”

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/women-legislators-fight-potty-parity-124091496

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Women, to this day, continue to be considered "2nd class citizens" and mere footnotes in a workplace. First obvious thing to do is make EVERY single-room/stall bathroom "universal" and that will start to solve the problem.

[marble falls]

1. It is crazy this is still going on. I remember rock concerts where the lines were so long at women's restroom ...

... and so short at the men's. Simple reason: The men's and the women's each had two or three toilets, but the men also had 10 or so urinals.

That was the early sixties and we got used to a line of women standing to get into the men's. Sixty years later and women still have to deal with restrooms designed and layed out by men.

There were devices (from paper back in the day) like this:

https://scheels.scene7.com/is/image/Scheels/09492243296?wid=500&hei=500

But this is no solution.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. I appreciate you are even aware of the problem, marble falls.

We women are so used to it … standing in line for the restroom at any major event and this has been the same way for decades. We stand there watching the men breeze in and out of their restroom with no lines whatsoever.

In the 60s as a child I remember pay toilets …. If you didn’t have a dime you were S.O.L. I think this was only done in womens’ restrooms. I’m glad at least that practice was abandoned.

[marble falls]

6. They were a dime in the gent's, too. In the right place one might have been known to slide himself under the door.

[Diamond_Dog]

2. The situation is backward and very unfair to women, to be sure.

So the men’s’ room even gets speakers broadcasting the arguments in their bathrooms but the women do not? Grossly unfair!

[HariSeldon]

4. It doesn't have to be so hard

I recently visited the LIGO Hanford site's LExC (LIGO Experience Center). I'm sure they never know much in advance when an all male group, all female group, or group including non-binary individuals will make the trek to their remote location.

Their restroom setup has fully-enclosed toilet stalls (essentially, small rooms) with door locks and a bank of sinks (with mirrors). It was a significantly better experience than visiting a porta-potty, each stall had a garbage bin, and sanitary supplies were available for those who need them. With "first come, first served," this provides as much gender parity for restroom access as I can imagine.

The science they do there -- and the technology they've had to create to enable it -- are fascinating, and well worth the time to visit (if it's near your route). It's kid-friendly, too, and admission is free (for now, at least).

[tulipsandroses]

5. Are there any locked stalls in the men's bathrooms? If so, I'd use the closest one

I do that at work and wherever I go.