Opt In, Options for All

I. Public Library Signs

Another nice example from our public libraries:

Signs on the walls of the public restrooms at the library near the condos where I'm cat sitting read:

FREE MENSTRUAL SUPPLIES

              Ask at desk.

So clear & simple. AND SHORT: The best signs say the most with the least.

I'm guessing all our county libraries are offering free pads & tampons now. Nice move.

What? You say Scotland got there first?!

In 2020, "Scotland has become the first country to allow free and universal access to menstrual products in public facilities, a landmark victory for the global movement against period poverty."

Anyway--the two library restrooms have toilet stalls, and the restrooms are sex segregated, with signs saying Women, or Men.

The entry doors to both restrooms were propped open, with a sign saying "Door Must Remain Open For Covid Protocol".

(Why? For air circulation?
Oh, no, I checked--it's to "Remove as Much Surface Contact as Possible", per park & rec guidelines.)

As I passed the men's bathroom, I could see the same sign posted in their entry:
Free Menstrual Supplies.

A while back I'd blogged about signs in the restrooms in the library near my home.
Those restrooms are gender neutral, each with a single toilet in one room. (I must check on what the signs on the doors say.)
A sign on their walls reads,
"We have supplies for people who menstruate."

In the library by the condos, the placement of the signs––visible from the hallway––makes the same point:

"Biological functions don't necessarily align with gender identification. We want to help you with those functions."

Nicely done!
(Also, the library by the condos improves the message by making it clear the supplies are free.)

I can get behind this:
Clear public information making things/freedoms open or available for anyone who wants or needs them.

Some people might not like the point being made, but no one's rights are infringed upon.
No one is made to say or do anything, or asked to sign up or actively give their assent.

II. IF YOU CHOOSE....

So, yeah: after thinking a lot about it, I still don't like when groups tell you at introduction time to give your "name and pronouns".

As with extra thingamabobs on a website (for instance, email notifications forever after), the "give your pronoun" option should be to opt in, not to opt out.

And, I think places that serve the public should to do as much as possible to make full options Clear & Easily Available, for those who want to opt in.

It would be better if we said at introduction time:

"Give your name and, if you choose, your pronouns."

Because social pressure to SAY something in public is very different than reading a public sign about services available.

Yes. I've thought about it, and that's what I think.

If you think I'm missing a crucial point, let me know.

III. Good Design; Or, How to Roll Your Toy Across the Street

P.S. A very great thing about making Good Things widely available is that all sorts of people can take advantage of the good--more than the designers might imagine.

When U.S. cities made curb cuts at street crossings after ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), for instance, the intent was to serve people in wheelchairs, but unintended benefit went to people with all sorts of wheeled devices--baby buggies, bikes, grocery carts--as well as the curb cuts making it easier to step into or out of the street without stumbling.

(Oh, I didn't know--looking for an illustration, I learned that this phenomenon of the Unintentional Benefits of Good Design for the Public Good has a name:
The Curb-Cut Effect!)

Good design is a blessing in all directions.
Signs could be considered Speech Design.

Putting signs offering free menstrual supplies in all bathrooms may serve unintended people too.

Say a friend or family member of a menstruating person knows the person needs supplies but is too shy to ask, or doesn't have any money, or is simply waiting outside.

Now that friend or family member (who may use either bathroom) knows the supplies are available and can get them for their menstruating friend.

Or, for that matter, someone might need a menstrual pad for some other use. When I was walking Camino, a man had placed one under his backpack's shoulder strap, where it was digging into his flesh.

Very super.