The White House announced on Wednesday a gender-neutral bathroom is now available at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The decision to open such a restroom was made, according to reports, to protect the rights of LGBT members.
美國白宮9日宣布，將在白宮艾森豪威爾行政大樓啟用"中性廁所"（neutral），讓不同性別及性向者有更彈性的選擇。據悉，增設中性廁所是為了保障男女同性戀者、雙性戀者與跨性別者（LGBT）的利益。

The site is in an area where White House personnel offices are located along with meeting spaces.According to CNN, the White House presently permits their staff and guests to use bathrooms that their gender identity applies to.
洗手間的位置臨近白宮人事部門辦公室和會議區。據美國有線電視新聞網（CNN）報道，白宮允許政府雇員和訪客根據"自己所認定的性別身份"自由地選擇洗手間。

"The White House allows staff and guests to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity, which is in keeping with the Administration’s existing legal guidance on this issue and consistent with what is required by the Executive Order that took effect today for federal contractors," White House spokesman Jeff Tiller told CNN. "In addition, an all-gender restroom is also available in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which provides guests and staff an additional option."
"白宮允許政府雇員和訪客根據自己所認定的性別身份自由地選擇洗手間，符合當局目前在這一問題上的指導，同時也是白宮落實剛生效的行政命令的最新表現。"白宮的發言人杰夫·提勒告訴CNN，"此外，在艾森豪威爾行政辦公樓里有一個各性別通用的洗手間也供使用，為工作人員和訪客提供了一個額外的選擇。"

Responding most recently to a petition on WeThePeople.gov, the White House is seeking to prohibit therapies directed at changing the sexual orientation of young individuals, The New York Times reports. The petition, which has over 100,000 signatures, asked for lawmakers in Washington to write up and pass a bill called "Leelah’s Law."
據《紐約時報》報道，為了回應最近在WeThePeople.gov上的一份請愿書，白宮正力圖禁止針對改變年輕人性取向的治療。有十萬多人在請愿書上簽名，要求華盛頓的立法者補寫并通過一個名為"Leelah’s Law"的法案。

White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett wrote in response to the petition, "We share your concern about its potentially devastating effects on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer youth."
白宮高級顧問瓦萊麗·賈勒特在回應請愿書時寫到："我和你一樣為潛在的破壞性而擔心，擔心對跨性別者以及男同性戀、女同性戀、雙性戀和同性戀青年的生活造成影響。"

Jarrett explained, "When assessing the validity of conversion therapy, or other practices that seek to change an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation, it is as imperative to seek guidance from certified medical experts." She added, "The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm.
賈勒特解釋道："評價改變年輕人性取向治療的有效性，或是其他試圖改變個人性別認同或性取向的實踐時，尋求認證醫療專家的指導是很有必要的。"她還表示，"大量的科學證據表明，轉換治療，尤其是針對年輕人的治療，無論是在醫學上還是道德上都是不合適的，還會造成實質性的傷害。"

Jarrett concluded in the statement, "As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors."
賈勒特在聲明中總結道："保護美國的年輕人是我們使命的一部分，政府支持禁止對未成年人使用轉換治療的各種努力。"

Vocabulary

LGBT: 同性戀、雙性戀及變性者（Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender）

conversion therapy: 性傾向轉變療法

(譯者：張琪BISTU 編輯：陳丹妮)