North Cook News

Former state representative candidate and Wilmette-based attorney Charles Hutchinson is joining opposition to a bill detailing specifications of all-gender multiple-occupancy restrooms.

“A new bill working its way through the Illinois General Assembly, HB 1286 will ‘REQUIRE’ places of public accommodation, which are newly constructed or perform a renovation in excess of 50%, to have 'newly constructed or previously existing restrooms to be designated as all-gender multiple-occupancy restrooms,' Hutchinson wrote on Facebook. 

HB 1286 was to be heard in the House Human Services Committee Wednesday.

According to bill sponsor Katie Stuart's  (D-Collinsville) website, the bill "will allow for businesses, who want to create gender neutral multiple occupancy restrooms, the ability to make new or convert current restrooms into one. Additionally, it prevents facilities who are choosing to provide  all-gender multiple-occupancy restrooms from converting only a men’s room or only a women’s room into all-gender; they must convert both, or add a new all-gender option."

The bill permits public accommodation for all-gender, multi-occupancy restrooms with signage.  

The Illinois Family Institute is also coming out against the bill.

“As the nation continues to be swept along by the godless, nonsensical transgender wave, parents, grandparents, and concerned citizens of all stripes must stand up and say, ‘no further.’ Legislators may seek to advance laws that reflect the flavor of the moment, but as believers in a God who created man and woman in His own image and called them “good,” we can and must hold them accountable for anything that says otherwise,” Illinois Family Institute said in a post.

The organization also stated that the bill has the potential to interfere with the religious rights contained in the First Amendment.

“Churches, synagogues, and mosques are not typically treated as places of public accommodation, however, if they rent their space for weddings or other events, they could run afoul of this legislation. For houses of worship that teach a view of gender that, until very recently, was not in question, freedom of speech and religion would come under threat. Churches, synagogues, and mosques could face having to decide between faithfulness to their religious texts and bowing to Springfield,” the group wrote.

Advocacy organizations are calling for concerned citizens to file witness slips. “PLEASE FILE YOUR WITNESS SLIP TO OPPOSE HB 1286 which will require ALL bathrooms become ALL GENDER!!!" Awake Illinois said in a tweet. The group included a link to file a witness slip.

The bill’s synopsis provides calculations on “female-to-male ratio requirements” of such bathrooms. “Provides that when plumbing fixtures in a facility must meet female-to-male ratio requirements, each individual fixture in an all-gender multiple-occupancy restroom may be counted toward the required number of either female or male toilet stalls. Provides that if a fixture is counted toward the minimum required fixtures for females, that same fixture shall not also be counted toward the minimum required fixtures for males, and if a fixture is counted toward the minimum required fixtures for males, that same fixture shall not also be counted toward the minimum required fixtures for females. Provides that during any inspection of a facility by a health officer, health inspector, or building inspector, the health officer, health inspector, or building inspector may inspect the facility to determine whether it complies with the provisions,” the bill’s synopsis reads.

Hutchinson ran for the 18th District House of Representatives seat against State Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston).