Critics of gender-neutral bathrooms say they're worried about safety. But does the change pose a real safety concern?
An American Family Association petition to boycott retail giant Target for its change to gender-neutral facilities had more than 900,000 signatures Wednesday.
The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the AFA, a fundamentalist Christian nonprofit, as a 'hate group.'
"The fears that are circulating about transgender bathroom laws and transgender access to bathrooms is completely false and unfounded," said Rex Fuller, spokesman for the GLBT Community Center of Colorado.
Fuller says the nationwide statistics show no cases of a transgender person attacking another in a bathroom assault in the United States, a belief the National Center for Transgender Equality reportedly supports.
"A friend of mine who is transgender said honestly there's nobody who is more nervous in a restroom than a transgender person," said Fuller.
At Metropolitan State University Denver's Auraria Campus, students told The NOW they were not aware certain bathrooms are gender-neutral.
"I think allowing a space for them -- even if it's just a bathroom -- I think that, alone, says a lot about an institution," said Kyle Castro, who supports gender-neutral facilities.
Fuller says critics are trying to play off fear to prevent equality.
"I wouldn't be worried about safety if it was a man who, I guess, identified as a woman," said Alisya Rodriguez, a student. "But, if there were people taking advantage of it, and it's clearly -- that man is a man -- I guess that would be a little uncomfortable."
More than 400 businesses got a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index, an anti-discrimination survey conducted last year. Those businesses include big names like Apple, McDonalds, Direct TV, Comcast and several major airlines.
