Comfort rooms inside establishments in Quezon City usually has two rooms -- one for the males and the other for the females. But later this year (or early 2015), don't be surprised to see a third room which will bear the sign "ALL GENDER CR."
This after the QC government led by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte approved a "gender fair" city ordinance requiring government agencies, private offices, and commercial establishments to have a designated unisex comfort rooms to address discrimination issues among members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
In fact, the city government, through the office of Vice Mayor and city council, has started this week distributing copies of the recently approved law.
Under the new measure, all establishments in the city must have designated lavatories and toilets labeled “All Gender CR,” the acronym for comfort room.
More pro-LGBT provisions
Under the section on affirmative acts on employment, the provision also mandates:
1. Employers to grant LGBTs the same wage and benefits accorded to people of other gender.
2. Employers to conduct annual gender sensitivity training and orientations for employees to eliminate all forms of discrimination based on perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
The new ordinance, approved on Sept. 29, further strengthens an earlier city law labeled CO- SP1309, S-2003 or the "prohibition of discrimination against homosexuals in the workplace."
In March 2014, this same ordinance was used in a complaint filed by a transgender call center employee in Fairview QC, who sued two security guards for not allowing her to use the female restroom. The case is still pending before the city prosecutor’s office.
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