Refuge Restrooms Business Info

1) What is Refuge Restrooms?

REFUGE is a web application that seeks to provide safe restroom access for transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming individuals. Read more about us on our About Page.

2) How did my facility get on this list?

Someone used your restroom and wanted to submit your location as a resource. All our data is crowd-sourced and user-submitted.

3) How can I be a good host?

Thanks for asking! Often, REFUGE visitors just hope to make a quick stop and be on our way, and like any other visitor, potentially support your business or location while we're there. Friendly staff and good experiences can go a long way in getting some love for your location in the reviews section of the app (more on that below!)

4) Why are safe restrooms an issue?

Using the restroom is an everyday activity that can be difficult for members of our community to navigate -- especially when visiting areas outside of their daily routines. That's where our mapping project comes in.

According to the US Trans Survey:

  • 59% of respondents avoided using a restroom for fear of confrontation
  • 31% avoided eating or drinking while out, to avoid having to use the restroom
  • 24% had their presence in the restroom questioned
  • 12% had been harassed, attacked, or sexually assaulted in a restroom
  • 9% had been denied restroom access
  • 8% had developed a kidney issue or urinary tract infection from avoiding bathroom usage

5) What does a review mean?

Reviews help visitors share experiences with each other about the location. We encourage visitors to share as much information as we have about each location on the map.

6) How do I remove my listing?

We hope you'll consider keeping your listing; it can mean a lot for people's health and wellbeing. However, if you'd rather not be listed, use our contact form to request a removal and our volunteers will work on it as soon as we can (this is an open source project so all work is done by volunteers).