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Walgreens to change its restroom policy after criticism from LGBTQ advocate

Walgreens to change its restroom policy after criticism from LGBTQ advocate
Posted at 7:58 PM, Feb 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-08 21:58:03-05

Walgreens is slated to change its restroom policy after an advocate for the LGBTQ community complained that she was not allowed to use a women's restroom because she looked like a man, the Los Angeles Times reported

According to the Los Angeles Times, Walgreens' policy for all of its national locations will now meet standards spelled out under California law. California law states that people are allowed to use the restroom that matches their gender identity, and that single restrooms be available for all genders. 

Jessie Meehan, who shopped at a Los Angeles area Walgreens, said she was told that restrooms were restricted based on a customer's appearance. Even though Meehan is not transgender, she complained to management about the policy. 

"I had to go so I didn't put up much of a fight and used the stall while the men used the urinals next to me," Meehan wrote in an email to Walgreens, according to the Los Angeles Times. "This in itself was very humiliating for me and I felt extremely uncomfortable."

Meehan said that she has shopped at Walgreens because she considers it a LGBT-friendly business. 

"When I think of Walgreens, I think of an ally," Meehan said in her email to Walgreens. "A company that really supports progressive issues which I really respect a lot."