Rio Lawmakers Approve Neutral Bathrooms for Trans and Non-Binary People

Overview

• The Assembleia Legislativa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro approved the measure on Tuesday, May 26, creating a legal requirement for neutral bathrooms and locker rooms in public and private collective-use sites.
• The text defines the facilities as intended for people who have not undergone transgenital surgery and for non-binary people, bars cisgender users from those spaces, and requires children under 12 to be accompanied.
• The law ties municipal codes to minimum structure and accessibility features such as fraldário, child toilets and accessible lavatories, and gives existing establishments 12 months after publication to adapt.
• Enforcement includes fines and possible interdiction for repeat offences, with collected revenues earmarked for the Fundo de Defesa Social e Defesa da Cidadania to fund awareness programs and support for victims; an amendment also authorizes AgeRio to offer credit lines for business adaptations.
• Opponents have formally asked Governor Ricardo Couto to veto the bill and vowed judicial challenges if it is signed, citing past municipal suspensions of similar rules and raising questions about constitutionality and effects on inclusion and safety.