NYC bill would require single-occupancy, publicly available bathrooms to be gender-neutral

New York City businesses could soon need to convert some of their bathrooms to gender-neutral facilities.

Comptroller Scott Stringer has proposed new legislation that would require all single-occupancy, publicly available restrooms to be designed as gender-neutral.

It would also change the wording of some city codes to remove regulations that require plumbers to create separate washrooms for each sex.

The law would mainly require businesses to change the signage on single-occupancy restrooms. It does not affect multistall lavatories.

The legislation comes after a report by Stringer's office found that transgender people experience harassment in public bathrooms. Advocates say it is a common-sense step to tackling gender bias and harassment.

New York's proposal follows similar measures in Philadelphia, West Hollywood and the District of Columbia.