Gender Neutral Signs Approved By Vancouver Park Board

A list of recommendations that includes implementing gender neutral signs at rec centre washrooms and change rooms has been approved by the Vancouver Park Board.

At its meeting Monday night, the board voted unanimously in favour of the 77 recommendations made in a report by the Trans and Gender-Variant Inclusion Working Group and aimed at making the city more inclusive for trans individuals and communities, according to a news release.

The recommendations include:

- installation of new, universal signage for all single stall washrooms and change rooms to make clear that trans and gender-variant people are welcome

- trans-inclusivity training for all staff, contractors and volunteers that interact with the public in Park Board facilities

- increased rental subsidies to partners who offer trans-specific programming, such as the All Bodies Swim, in Park Board facilities

- expansion of universal changing rooms and the addition of more private changing stalls in all changing spaces

The recommendations came out of a draft report that went through a community review process, including town hall meetings, emails and phone calls from the public, and in-person and online surveys. Over 1,300 responses were gathered.

“The recommendations as presented will greatly improve the quality of access to recreation and active health in Vancouver and help make Vancouver the most inclusive city in the world,” Commissioner Trevor Loke, the Park Board liaison to the working group, said in the release.

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