Yelp has always been a helpful source of information, and now, it’s expanding the ways in which it contributes to your knowledge base. On March 3, the site announced “a new business attribute that helps users identify businesses that offer gender-neutral restrooms to patrons.” That means that if you’re in need of a locking, single-stall bathroom that is accessible to people of any gender, Yelp will help you find one.
On both desktop and mobile versions of the site, Yelp users will be able to determine the availability of gender-neutral restrooms in various businesses. How is this information gathered? As per Yelp’s blog post, the site collects data from both users and business owners. Users who check into or review places on Yelp (whether they’re stores, restaurants, or other establishments) can report to Yelp whether or not the bathroom facilities are gender-neutral. Moreover, business owners have the option of editing the Gender-Neutral Restrooms attribute via their business owner account.
Yelp says that it will also be introducing the option of searching for businesses by the Gender-Neutral Restrooms attribute in the coming weeks, should that affect your patronage choices. The rollout comes a day after Yelp announced its participation in an amicus brief supporting student named Gavin Grimm, who filed a lawsuit against his school board after being refused the use of the boys’ bathroom at his school. The brief includes tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft.
“At Yelp we thrive on inclusion and acceptance,” Yelp concluded.
