Bathroom Politics

Just a little historical observation.  LBJ had a house in Texas but obviously lived in DC for much of the time.  His servants, many (all?) of whom were black, would drive the car back and forth between the two locations to haul belongings that were too big to be carried on an airplane.  They dreaded this chore, not because the drive itself was particularly unpleasant, but because they were generally not permitted to use bathrooms for large stretches of the trip through the South.  It was unpleasant and humiliating for them.

And this, more than a lot of other things, enraged LBJ.  It is such a fundamental affront to human dignity not to be able to use a bathroom.  Obviously this wasn't the only issue that drove him to push for civil rights, but it was one of the most personal and visceral.

Anyway, against all odds bathrooms have been a flashpoint for social justice in this country.