No, the DNC hasn’t canceled women’s restrooms

Sorry to be a potty mouth, but we have some bathroom misinformation to check.

“Women don’t even get their own restroom at the DNC convention,” posted an X user on Aug. 19.

Included was a screenshot of an X post from a Washington Times reporter claiming that in the press filing center, Democratic National Convention “organizers took away the ladies room,” showing only images of “Men’s Restrooms” and “Gender Neutral Restrooms” signs.  

(Screenshot of X post)

We saw similar claims that there was “no women’s restroom on site,” or that women’s bathrooms were “eliminated” from the convention altogether.

But these claims are wrong. The Democratic National Convention has numerous bathrooms for women only. Two of them are at the press filing center mentioned in the screenshotted post.

Most bathrooms at DNC are men’s or women’s

The security perimeter for the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago spans several blocks and includes multiple buildings. 

The largest building is the United Center, where the evening speeches are taking place. A United Center map provided by the DNC shows multiple bathrooms on five of the six floors. On each floor there is one all-gender restroom; the rest are men’s or women’s.

In total, there are 21 women’s restrooms, 26 men’s restrooms, and five gender-neutral restrooms in the United Center. 

Across the street from the United Center is the Advocate Center, normally a training center for the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, which includes the press filing area where reporters can work.

A volunteer assisting DNC organizers recorded a video for PolitiFact showing the locations of the bathrooms outside the press filing center. A men’s restroom and gender-neutral restroom are near each other, and two women’s restrooms lie a short walk down the hall.

Our ruling

Social media users claimed on X that “women don’t even get their own restroom at the DNC convention.” But there are several women’s bathroom’s throughout the event space, far outnumbering gender-neutral bathrooms.

We rate this claim Pants on Fire!

PolitiFact Staff Writer Maria Ramirez Uribe and Senior Correspondent Amy Sherman contributed to this report.

By

Grace Abels

Staff writer

August 20, 2024

Truth-o-meter Ruling

Pants on Fire!

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

• There are 21 women’s restrooms, 26 men’s restrooms, and five gender-neutral restrooms in the United Center, the Democratic National Convention’s main building. 

• The Advocate Center, which houses the press filing center, has two women’s restrooms, a men’s room and a gender-neutral bathroom.

Statement

“Women don't even get their own restroom at the DNC convention.”

Context

a post

Speaker/Target

Speaker: X posts

Statement Date

August 19, 2024