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Statehouses Are the Public’s Houses, but the Fight for Potty Parity Continues
FRANKLIN COUNTY, KENTUCKY, JUL 26 – Renovations costing hundreds of millions aim to increase women's restroom access in historic statehouses where facilities lag behind growing female legislator numbers.
- Kentucky's 155-year-old Capitol has only two cramped women's bathroom stalls on the third floor amid 41 female legislators.
- The building was designed in 1859 with facilities for men only, reflecting historical exclusion as female representation was minimal.
- This disparity causes female lawmakers to risk missing votes during long sessions, while men have multiple bathrooms available nearby.
- Democratic Rep. Aftyn Behn said she had to overcome obstacles to be elected to a legislature with very low female representation and now has to make do with facilities that seem to have been created without considering women’s needs.
- A $300 million renovation scheduled by 2028 aims to add more women's restrooms and end bathroom disparity, following broader national efforts recognizing potty parity.
36 Articles
36 Articles
Washington Top News
My Mother LodeStatehouses are the public’s houses, but the fight for potty parity continues
For female state lawmakers in Kentucky, choosing when to go to the bathroom has long required careful calculation. There are only two bathroom stalls for women…
Women in legislatures across the US fight for ‘potty parity’
For female state lawmakers in Kentucky, choosing when to go to the bathroom has long required careful calculation. There are only two bathroom stalls for women on the third floor of the Kentucky Statehouse, where the House and Senate chambers are located. Female legislators — 41 of the 138 member Legislature — needing a reprieve during a lengthy floor session have to weigh the risk of missing an important debate or a critical vote. None of their…
Associated Press News
Statehouses are the public's houses, but the fight for potty parity continues
Statehouses across the U.S. are addressing long-standing bathroom disparities for female lawmakers. In Kentucky, there is limited restroom access for women in the Statehouse, who risk missing debates or votes if they have to stand in line to answer the call of nature.
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