For Liberty—and Bathrooms for All

What bathrooms and curb cuts have in common.
—

The other day, my daughter and I were on a road trip when nature called. We stopped at a gas station with two private restrooms—one labeled for men, the other for women. The women’s room had a line three deep, while the men’s room stood empty. (Not surprising most of my stories will start with my kids. 😉)

I suggested we use the men’s restroom. My daughter looked at me nervously,“But that’s the boys’ room!” As the urgency grew, practicality won out. I ushered her into the men’s private, lockable bathroom, receiving sympathetic nods from the ladies’ line.

Not long after, I attended an event where the intermission rush to the restrooms followed a familiar script: the women’s line was out the door while the men’s line moved quickly along. I stood there, remembering other events where the solution was refreshingly simple—porta-potties. At those events, every stall was gender-neutral. You just went to the next available one. No stress, no hesitation, no unnecessary rules.

One of my favorite restaurants has nailed it for over a decade. They have two private restrooms, simply labeled “Bathroom 1” and “Bathroom 2.” If one’s occupied, you use the other—no fuss, no awkward sizing up of lines. I never had to feel weird about walking into the “other” restroom because, in their setup, they’re both for everyone. It’s practical, inclusive, and effortlessly efficient. It’s the kind of system that makes you wonder why more places don’t do the same. 

It gets me thinking, why has gender neutral bathrooms become such a hot topic?

For some, waiting for the “right” restroom is a gamble you don’t always win. In that moment, which door you “should” use feels far less important than simply having access. Bathrooms are basic necessities. And there are examples of it working this way long before it became morally debated. 

It’s not just about kids or gender. It’s about making life easier for everyone. The idea of simplifying bathrooms by removing gendered labels is a perfect example of what’s known as the curb cut effect—a principle that highlights how solutions designed to help a specific group often end up benefiting everyone.

The curb cut effect originated with a change made to sidewalks. Cities began adding small ramps, or “curb cuts,” to improve accessibility for wheelchair users. While these cuts were implemented with one group in mind, they quickly proved invaluable to a much wider audience: parents with strollers, travelers dragging suitcases, workers pushing delivery carts, joggers, and even cyclists. A change designed to address the needs of a particular subgroup unintentionally improved daily life for nearly everyone who walked the streets.

Closed captions on television and video content were designed for the hearing impaired, yet they’re widely used by people watching in noisy environments, non-native speakers, and parents trying to watch their favorite show without waking a sleeping baby (or just because you’re a millennial and that’s how millennials watch TV these days). Similarly, adjustable desks created for accessibility are now embraced by anyone seeking ergonomic comfort during long workdays.

When we design systems with accessibility and inclusivity in mind, we create spaces and experiences that benefit us all. Making restrooms gender-neutral initially seems like a change aimed at supporting gender-diverse individuals, but its benefits ripple outward. It reduces wait times, simplifies family outings, and removes unnecessary hesitation or awkwardness for anyone who might feel uncomfortable walking into a gendered space. 

Of course not every space is able to accommodate this approach. And there are some cultural nuances that may opt out for this. But overall, the lesson is clear: as the curb cut effect teaches us, when we design for equity, everyone gains. At the end of the day, we all just need a place to go. 😉