Wooten-Whitaker speaks out on Freedemian public restroom shortage, personal struggles

KNOX, GRAHAM CITY- In an interview with PWN on Monday, Diane Wooten-Whitaker, 2016 candidate for Graham Executive, talked for a while on a topic that was less of a campaign issue and more personal for her, the Freedemian restroom shortage.

“I have a very small and weak bladder, and I also have the misfortune of being dehydrated very easily. Together, that basically means I’m constantly drinking water to stay hydrated, but constantly having to search for a restroom because my bladder always needs to be emptied. The public restroom shortage in this country has greatly affected me personally. I’m sure everyone remembers that embarrassing moment I peed on myself in the middle of a live televised debate because I couldn’t find a public bathroom when I was campaigning earlier that day. Sometimes, I have to live with the constant fear that I’m not going to find a restroom in time. I’m not the only one with these kinds of problems. This is no small issue. Honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing to even be talking to you about this today, but it needs to be talked about.”

“Yet, it’s a difficult issue, because it’s not like you can just mandate a solution. There’s a literal shortage, and even making businesses allow public use of their bathrooms doesn’t fully solve it. I liked an idea I saw where residents could opt in to allowing public use of a household restroom too, it seemed like it could help even more. However, I do believe President Rosenthal’s RAWAA (a recently passed law requiring public places with restrooms to offer public restrooms) is a step in the right direction. It’s also nice to see initiatives to put more restrooms in parks and public squares and such.”

“But I want people to understand that this is a big issue. We live in one of the hottest countries in the world, and despite humidity it is extremely easy to become dehydrated. While easy access to water is hugely important, and should be prioritized, access to restrooms is almost as important. I’ve personally talked to people who say they won’t drink as much as they probably should because they don’t want to worry about finding a bathroom. Everyone needs water, and everyone needs access to restrooms. It’s highly unfair to tell our friends, family, our kids, that to stay hydrated they need to drink until they have to pee and then not give them a place to go pee.”

Wooten-Whitaker was honest in explaining that it took a lot of courage to speak openly on the issue, but that she hopes to continue championing the issue in coming years.

“I’m passionate about this issue because I’ve lived it. Something needs to be done.”