“We Don’t Care” washroom signs attract positive feedback at the CNE
[One of the bathroom signs at the Ex / Twitter]
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is Toronto’s end of summer fair, running from August 19 to Sept 5 this year.
“The Ex” returned with crazy rides, crazier food, and a new look for their porta potties.
Buzzfeed Canada reports that the CNE’s all-gender washroom signs were inspired by a Toronto Star article last month and that the sign’s design came from a Kansas City artist.
A CNE spokesperson told Buzzfeed that the decision was practical as well as inclusive, as “all-gender washrooms makes for better flow and greater capacity.”
The #cne gets it right with gender neutral washrooms #wedontcare #high5 pic.twitter.com/FBubVqBrKA
— Natalie Roth (@natalieroth)
Twitter and Instagram users have been celebrating the design change, with the occasional neutral or negative response.
The Huffington Post reports that the CNE needed new washrooms anyway, so these ones were built for them using shipping containers.
We all gotta go anyway…
These should be everywhere! #WeDontCare https://t.co/PbT0GMvLBC— ~ A n d r e a ~ (@Andrea_S76)
“However, we hope that other events will express interest to incorporate and adapt to our gender-neutral stalls,” the CNE’s general manager told The Huffington Post.
BlogTO pointed out that the CNE isn’t the first in Toronto to implement gender-neutral signage, as the Royal Ontario Museum and various clubs and restaurants have made the switch already.
@BuzzFeedCanada hey, I can actually go to @LetsGoToTheEX this year and feel safe! It’s been quite a few years. Thank you for the awareness!
— Nameless Transguy (@ftmtrans)