Ordinance Could Expand Gender-Neutral Bathrooms In Jersey City

JERSEY CITY, NJ — An ordinance promoting gender-neutral bathrooms in Jersey City will go before the City Council at Monday's caucus meeting.

Councilmember James Solomon will introduce the ordinance that makes all single-stall bathrooms gender-neutral in an effort to make Jersey City even more inclusive and welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. The ordinance was started in 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic.

If passed, existing businesses with single-use bathrooms would have sixty days from the time the ordinance goes into effect to change the signage on bathroom doors to reflect gender-neutral bathrooms. The ordinance was drafted to mirror Hoboken’s 2018 ordinance. The ordinance also covers any new construction that has single-use bathrooms.

Wylie Tene, a 15-year resident of Jersey City, initially reached out to the Solomon’s office in hopes of creating this citywide legislation.

"All over the country we are seeing laws passed to discriminate against the transgender community," Tene said, "Jersey City, as one of the most diverse cities in the country, has been at the forefront of inclusivity. With this new ordinance, Jersey City will be a beacon of hope to transgender folks everywhere."

The community will have an opportunity to sign up to publicly speak regarding the ordinance on June 30.

Hudson Pride Center’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Schedl reinforced Wylie Tene’s call to action, "Many transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people avoid public bathrooms due to the harassment, violence, or threat of arrest they experience in bathrooms labeled 'women' and 'men.' It is extremely important to not only normalize gender-neutral bathrooms but to make sure that they are more widely available and accessible to all. It is not a privilege, but a human right, to be able to use a bathroom without the threat of harassment or violence.”