Adult changing tables are now Minnesota law in all new public restrooms
MINNEAPOLIS -- A number of Minnesotans are celebrating a big win, as adult changing tables are now law in new public spaces that are built in Minnesota.
As WCCO has previously reported, some Minnesotans say using public restrooms has been a dehumanizing and disgusting experience, as they are forced to lie on the floor.
When Linda Hood, a marathoner who lost the use of her legs from a virus, became Miss Wheelchair Minnesota in early 2022, she declared it her mission to get adult changing tables in public restrooms.
She joined forces with Sarah St. Louis, who was struggling to change her beloved son Ezra, who has a traumatic brain injury and was too big for infant tables.
"The only places we had to change him were dirty public restroom floors. I realized that this is really undignified, it's not sanitary, it's not safe and it's humiliating to put your child on a dirty bathroom floor," St. Louis said.
Four years ago she took on the momentous task of changing the law alongside advocates like Hood, who never gave up.
"We got Sen. Liz Bolden and Rep. Kim Hicks to be respective authors. They spent about 15 hours over two days, and they finally voted 34 to 33 to pass it on. Just after midnight, they passed it, and then we got Gov. Walz to sign it last week," Hood said.
She added it was quite emotional.
"It just, it makes tears fall, it just makes tears fall," Hood said.
"When I got home, I showed my son, and he was like, 'He signed it?' And I was like, 'Yes baby, he did!' He goes, 'We just changed the world!'" St. Louis said. "It just made me realize that we did something that meant something. We brought human dignity to Minnesota, finally."
Hood said this most recent development won't be the end of the story, either.
"I thought this is Minnesota and we did it, we have to make it possible for the other states," Hood said. "This is just the beginning, the beginning."
The new law is set to go into effect in January. It will mean any large public buildings like movie theatres, malls, and stadiums will have to be built with adult changing tables. There is also up to $20,000 in incentives for existing businesses to update their restrooms, too.