Refuge Restrooms – Review

●●●●●

Refuge Restrooms is an online initiative by transgender activists based in the U.S. It’s also an open source app that allows trans*, non-binary, intersex and gender non-conforming users to both add and find their nearest gender neutral and accessible public toilets. Why restrooms? The use of public toilets is a battlefield for trans* people, who regularly are shunned from using the toilet that matches their gender identity and the toilets for their assigned gender alike. According to the website: “Many transgender individuals face still face both verbal and physical harassment simply for using the restroom. Nobody should have to face that, and that’s why we created Refuge.”

The slick, minimalist designed interface allows users to see bathrooms near them that are accessible, identified with a pin on google maps. There is also a search feature, so one can plan journeys in advanced around their access to safe toilets. Not only are the pins identified on the map, but users can add directions to the toilets once in the building and a comments section allows for extra useful tid-bits of information, such as “this establishment accepts paying customers only”.

The user-generated feature of the restroom listings means that Dublin users can add their own knowledge of gender neutral and accessible bathrooms around the city. You can also help out if you are a coder and notice any bugs in the feature, since the app is open source. The core team of operators of the service such as computer engineers and graphic designers are unemployed trans* people. No one should have to work for free, so donating can help keep this innovative and much-needed service running smoothly.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *