Equitable Restroom Accommodation for Trans/GNC People

The ZOOM Recording of this event is now available!

EVENT DETAILS

This panel presentation brings together thought leaders from the legal, academic, and transgender communities to address access to restrooms for trans and gender non-conforming people in public buildings in the face of laws enacted in 19 states across the country that constrain people to utilize the restroom associated with their sex-at-birth. In so doing, trans and GNC people face increased risks, including denial of access, harassment and physical assault. The effect of these regressive laws serves to prevent this targeted population from using public restrooms in public buildings, such as schools and universities, libraries, hospitals, government buildings, airports, parks and community centers.

It is our charge to identify tangible solutions to ensure equitable accommodations that support everybody’s inherent right to participate in all aspects of public life. The discussion will seek to identify avenues of opportunity, galvanize consensus, and discern concrete steps going forward. The policy statement generated at this presentation will be delivered to AIA National for adoption and advocacy.

LEARNING UNITS
AIA CES: Approved for 1.0 LU|HSW

Please note: This is a VIRTUAL event that will take place over ZOOM.

All registered attendees will be sent the ZOOM link in the Event Confirmation Email that is sent out 24 hours prior to the event.

HOST/MODERATOR

Jake Stevens – Senior Vice President, Faring 

Jake Stevens is a California real estate development professional and a proud graduate of Los Angeles public schools. He attended Occidental College as a 2004 Centennial Scholar and was the 2022 Occidental College Erica J. Murray Young Alumnus of the Year. He is currently the 73rd President of the Occidental College Board of Governors and President of the City of Los Angeles Board of Building and Safety Commissioners. He is also Governor Gavin Newsom’s two-time appointee as President of the California State New Motor Vehicle Board, the first openly LGBT person in state history to hold the office. Jake was named the 2022 Democrat of the Year for the 52nd Assembly District by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and was recognized as the 2019 LGBT Heritage Month – Person of the Year for Los Angeles City Council District 14.

PANELISTS

Kendra Muller – Attorney, Disability Rights California 

Kendra J. Muller (they/them) is a disabled, queer attorney at Disability Rights California (DRC), the nation’s largest disability rights non-profit. As part of the Equal Access and Housing team, Muller employs impact litigation, direct services, regulatory code, and policy changes to address civil rights violations, including at the intersection of equal access to restrooms. Muller emphasizes collaborative advocacy with underserved communities, including 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, people of color, veterans, unhoused individuals, multilingual individuals, seniors, and low-income communities. Muller is DRC’s current ex officio member of the Division of the State Architect’s Access Codes Collaborative, working to identify opportunities surrounding access in the California Building Code development process. Muller serves on the board of Rainbow Spaces and previously a representative of the Transgender, Gender Diverse, or Intersex Working Group for the California Department of Managed Health Care.

David Serlin – Professor of Communication & Science Studies, UC San Diego 

David Serlin is Professor of Communication and Science Studies at UC San Diego. He published “Pissing Without Pity: Disability, Gender, and the Public Toilet” in the groundbreaking anthology Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing, eds. Harvey Molotch and Laura Norén (NYU Press, 2010). His most recent book is Window Shopping with Helen Keller: Architecture and Disability in Modern Culture (University of Chicago Press, 2025). He is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, which awarded him the 2021 Rome Prize in Architecture.

Jody L. Herman, Ph.D. – Reid Rasmussen Senior Scholar of Public Policy & Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law 

Jody L. Herman is the Reid Rasmussen Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law. Her research focuses on measures of gender identity in survey research, gendered public spaces, and the prevalence and impacts of discrimination based on gender identity or expression. At the Williams Institute, her work has included the development of trans-inclusive questions for population-based surveys and research on minority stress, health, violence, and suicidality among transgender people, among other topics. Dr. Herman co-authored Injustice at Every Turn, based on the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, and The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. She served as a Co-Investigator on the U.S. Transgender Population Health Survey (“TransPop”; NICHD R01HD090468; PI Ilan Meyer), as Co-Principal Investigator on the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey, and as a Co-Investigator on an NIH-funded study to assess health disparities among gender minority youth. Her published research is routinely cited, including by major news sources, such as The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and NPR. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Public Administration from The George Washington University.

Amanda Goad – Audrey Irmas Director of the LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project, ACLU Southern California 

Amanda is the Audrey Irmas Director of the LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California, fighting for the rights and civil liberties of LGBTQ people through litigation, policy advocacy, technical assistance, coalition-building, and community engagement. Amanda was previously a staff attorney in the LGBT & HIV Project of the National ACLU, working on projects to advance transgender workers’ rights, safety and dignity for incarcerated people, the rights of LGBTQ students, and marriage equality for same-sex couples. Amanda also previously served as Director of Litigation at Inner City Law Center in Los Angeles, as Senior Counsel in the New York City Law Department, and as Legal Coordinator for a group providing pro bono name change assistance to transgender New Yorkers. In 2015, Amanda was named one of the 40 Best LGBT Lawyers under the age of 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association. Amanda is an alum of Harvard Law School and Rice University, a former co-chair of the Board of Directors of Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network, and a former fifth grade teacher.

Shane Diamond – Director of Communications & Advocacy, GLAAD

Shane Diamond (he/him) serves as Director of Communications & Advocacy at GLAAD, where he leads GLAAD’s transgender advocacy and narrative strategy work, as well as creator relationship and athlete engagement. He plays a central role in shaping GLAAD’s storytelling strategies—most notably coordinating the partnership with Ground Media on the landmark Here We Are campaign, recently honored by the Anthem Awards, to uplift transgender stories and storytellers. Previously, Shane served as the principal for Very Good Consulting, specializing in gender equity training and communications consulting for nonprofits, corporations, athletic programs, and more. He also produced the impact campaign for the Hulu Original and GLAAD Media Award-winning documentary, CHANGING THE GAME, about three transgender high school athletes as they fight to participate in their respective sports. Shane, his spouse, and their dog, Harvey Chocolate Milk, live in Brooklyn, NY.

Bamby Salcedo – President & CEO, TransLatina Coalition 

Bamby is a national and international transgender Latina Woman who received her Master’s Degree in Latina Studies from California State California Los Angeles. Bamby is the President and CEO of the TransLatina Coalition, a national organization that focuses on addressing the issues of transgender Latinas in the US. Bamby developed the Center for Violence Prevention and Transgender Wellness, a multipurpose, multi-service space for Trans people in Los Angeles.

Special thanks to Eve Reynolds, AIA, Principal Architect at Arcolution LLC,  for organizing this important and timely event.

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