Advocating for Practical Policy: A Conversation on All-Gender Bathrooms

Join the AIANY Interiors Committee and AIANY LGBTQIA+ Alliance for a program exploring the path to advocating for practical policy as design professionals, using all-gender bathrooms as a case study. Building upon work from the past decade and the recent article in the Summer 2025 Teamwork Issue of Oculus magazine, A Stall for One, A Stall for All, the discussion will focus on how AIANY approaches advocacy for design professionals, the path for pursuing legislative action to remedy a persistent design challenge, and the process for making the case. In conversation with local and state legislators, practitioners, business owners, and advocates, we will examine a bill to amend the plumbing code to enable the design of multi-stall, all-gender bathrooms, making it easier for design professionals to meet client's requests for inclusive design.

Schedule:
6:00 PM - Arrival and Networking
6:15 PM - Introduction
6:20 PM - Presentation on All-Gender Bathrooms
Ruth Ro, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C, Partner, Dattner Architects
Troy Lacombe, Senior Designer, Dattner Architects
7:00 PM - Panel Discussion
Kim Yao, FAIA, Principal, Architecture Research Office
Jason Brandt, General Manager of Forest Hills Stadium, The Bowery Presents
Andrew Lee, Assoc. AIA, Director of Architecture and Planning, Equinox