DON’T BE A #2!
Go In Peace
Leader & Strategist: Mads Martin | Lead Designer & Copywriter: Amélie Salahie | Social: Lisandro Guinea | Designer: Natalia Alemán
Go In Peace is a bathroom advocacy campaign encouraging small businesses, county government, and the population of Charlotte, NC to promote single-room, all-gender bathrooms as a necessary part of bathroom equality. Go In Peace is designed to bring awareness to this serious issue through the use of lighthearted, approachable visuals and humorous, succinct copy. Even simple changes such as a sign on the door can make a huge difference for single parents, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQIA+ community. Through education, support, and action, we believe that one day, everyone will be able to Go In Peace.
Can you tell what gender this restroom is for?
No? How about this one?
Still not sure? Exactly — so why is it everyone is so hung up about what sign is on the outside of the door?
That’s where Go In Peace comes in.
THE PROBLEM:
Charlotte lacks equal access to comfortable bathrooms for everyone.
The city of Charlotte abounds with restaurants, breweries, and shops that have single-stall bathrooms, yet most of the time, those bathrooms are still labeled as “Men” or “Women”. This choice of signage can have big consequences. I came up with the concept of Go In Peace as a solution to this problem.
WHO BENEFITS?
Single parents with children, people with disabilities, gender-nonconforming individuals, those with bathroom anxiety, and yes, you!
Go In Peace was born from my personal experience as a nonbinary individual, but through our research, it became clear that there are many people affected by bathroom inequality. Whether it’s a single father trying to take his daughter to the restroom, a person who has a character of the opposite gender, a transgender individual, or someone who is afraid of public bathrooms, all-gender restrooms provide an easy solution for all of these people. Everyone benefits from a safer and more equal world.
THE STATS:
23 states have adopted gender-neutral restroom laws.
Over 200 cities and counties have gender-neutral restroom ordinances.
H.Res.208 - 114th Congress (2015-2016)
60% of transgender Americans have avoided using public restrooms.
32% avoid food and water consumption to do so.
12% have been verbally harassed.
8% developed kidney infections—compared to 1% of the general population
The National Center for Transgender Equality, 2016
SMALL BUSINESSES:
Small businesses are the cornerstone of our approach. To educate them about the need for single-room, all-gender bathrooms and encourage them to implement them, we created an Inclusive Restroom Starter Kit. This kit includes an informational booklet, a vinyl all-gender restroom sign and application instructions, memorabilia such as stickers and pins, and story cards that contain the real experiences of people who have struggled with gendered public restrooms.
Our solution is a three-pronged approach:
Small business education, public awareness, and government change.
PUBLIC AWARENESS:
Another pillar of creating change involves educating the public. Our public outreach focuses on teaching the public about the importance of all-gender restrooms through a lighthearted and humorous campaign. We sought to create material that most people could relate to. To do this, we utilized Instagram as well as posters.
GOVERNMENT CHANGE:
The final branch of our strategy centered on creating real change at the government level. To do so, we created a letter that supporters of Go In Peace can sign and send to their representatives as a call for action. Igniting change at the government level also includes solutions such as mass email campaigns and in-person formal presentations to garner the support of our local offices.
GOING FORWARD:
So, what comes next for Go In Peace? You’ve just scrolled through the presentation our team gave to a panel of community leaders here in Charlotte. These elements laid the foundation. Now, we’re making our campaign a reality to initiate real change in our area and beyond. Follow us on Instagram (@goinpeaceclt) and stay tuned for the next step in our journey (and more toilet humor)!
Can’t get enough Go In Peace? Take a deeper dive by taking a look at our case study!
