Potty Parity Comes to U.S. House Following Formal Legal Complaint

Dec. 2, 2010 - PRLog -- The U.S. House of Representatives will finally provide potty parity - sometimes also known as squatters' rights or porcelain proportionality - for its female members.  This follows a formal legal complaint from the man dubbed "The Father of Potty Parity" which prompted the Architect of the Capitol to announce that "options are being considered for adding additional restrooms" for female members.

The complaint charged that providing luxurious restroom facilities immediately adjacent to the House floor for male members, with no restroom facilities whatsoever for female members, constituted sex discrimination and a denial of Equal Protection.  It also noted that female members had reported missing votes because of this denial, and that they now have a long dash from the floor just to relieve themselves.  http://banzhaf.net/docs/pelosi

As the complaint pointed out, male members already enjoy a congressmen's restroom just a few feet off the House floor which has six stalls, four urinals, gilt mirrors, a shoeshine, ceiling fan, drinking fountain, and television.  In sharp contrast, for women seeking similar relief it "entails traversing a hall where tourists gather, or entering the minority leader's office, navigating a corridor that winds past secretarial desks and punching in a keypad code to ensure restricted access."

The complaint, filed by public interest law professor John Banzhaf, noted that several court decisions have held that failing to provide equivalent restroom facilities for males and females may constitute illegal gender discrimination, and thus would also violation the Constitutions' guarantee of Equal Protection.  http://banzhaf.net/pottyparity.html

He has been dubbed the "Father of Potty Parity" because he first developed legal theories under which women could challenge building designs which forced them to wait on much longer lines than men.  This, in turn, helped to lead to the potty parity movement under which additional restroom facilities are being provided for women under laws, building codes, or otherwise, and to a new federal potty parity bill. http://clarke.house.gov/2010/05/congress-seeks-potty-pari...

Another complaint by Banzhaf apparently triggered an increase in the number of portable toilets made available, especially for women, at the recent inauguration.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/#28732684

Banzhaf says that the problem of lack of potty parity is a serious one, on the House floor or otherwise, because forcing women to "hold it in" can lead to medical problems.  However, he recognizes that it can also be a treated lightly.

That's why he, somewhat tongue in cheek, encourages women to continue to complain - and to sue if necessary - about being under-privyledged and about the lack of urinequity which often causes them to wait a sheturnity in pee-gatory and suffer assault and bladdery, while men-no-pause and zip in, up, and out of restrooms exercising a male pee-rogative, and causing some women real penis envy -- although some call it simply menvy.

PROFESSOR JOHN F. BANZHAF III
Professor of Public Interest Law
George Washington University Law School
FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor,
FELLOW, World Technology Network
2013 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006, USA
(202) 659-4310 // (703) 527-8418
http://banzhaf.net/