John Curley has (awkward) transgender bathroom epiphany in New York City

John Curley had a bathroom epiphany while in New York: Rather than remove the restroom signs altogether, every business should just add more symbols.

Curley’s realization came while staying at the Dream Hotel in New York City, where he entered a hip bathroom with a single sign for males, females, and handicap.

“I thought, maybe at this point the hallway will open up and there will be male, female and handicap,” he said. “No, it opens up to just a big room.

“It’s open to everyone,” he added. “There is no idea of privacy. You’re not surprised by all of the sudden seeing a female in there and she’s not necessarily surprised by finding you in there. You walk in and go to the right, there’s a bunch of urinals. You go to the left and there’s a bunch of stalls. And that’s it. When you want to wash your hands, it’s unisex: everyone around the big sinks washing hands.”

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This led to some awkward moments, such as when Curley told one entering woman, “Welcome to a weird bathroom.” Or when he exited one of the “tiny” stalls.

“When I stood up and came out of the stall my pants were still down,” he said. “And I’m walking around pulling my pants and zipper up without realizing. And there’s this woman standing right in front of me using the sink &#8212 it’s those circular sinks that they used to have at the old Husky Stadium. It’s just weird. The woman’s washing her hands and just about 10 feet away some guy is standing there using the urinal.”

Still, Curley endorses this idea.

“Every woman who walked in when she would see me in there, would back up and look at the sign,” he said. “And I thought this is the perfect solution to this whole transgender bathroom thing. Get rid of the signs or make every single bathroom unisex. That way no feelings are hurt, no one is discriminated against and no one has any expectation that everybody in that room is of the same gender.”