New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has launched a campaign to tell the public to use public bathrooms consistent with their gender identity, regardless of their biological sex.
The ad blitz will run until July 3 and will cost the city $265,000, the New York Post reports.
Transgenders are featured in the ad, which says, "Use the restroom consistent with who you are. Look past pink and blue."
"In NYC, it's the law. No questions asked," it adds.
De Blasio said, "No one deserves to be denied access to bathrooms or discriminated against for being who they are. Every New Yorker has the legal right to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity, no questions asked – and these powerful ads affirm this right."
He said New York City has been a leader in fighting for LGBTQ equality and the ads are evidence of this support.
"While other cities and states are legislating intolerance and taking away individuals' right to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity, we are proudly standing with our transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers," he said.
New York City has teamed with the city's Commission on Human Rights in the campaign.
The ad campaign will kick off the LGBTQ Pride Month and it includes ads and videos that will appear in subway cars, bus shelters, phone booths, ethnic and community newspapers, and in ads in digital publications and social media in English and Spanish.
Ethnic newspaper ads will appear in Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Russian and Bengali.
The commission is set to release two digital videos that feature transgender New Yorkers.
However, not everyone is supporting the bathroom policy.
Pastor Bryan Ridenour wrote in his blog about the Obama administration's push for public schools to allow transgenders to use restrooms according to their gender identity.
Ridenour mentioned 2 Timothy 2:22, which reads, "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
"Instead of fleeing evil, our world chases after it like a moth to a flame," Ridenour wrote, according to Christian News Network. "Opening the door of our bathrooms and locker rooms to all genders or gender identities opens another Pandora's Box in our already sin sick world," he said.
