Attending college can be a way to start over. Students can create an entirely new identity surrounded by a new group of peers. But, what happens when your new identity prevents you from feeling comfortable walking into a gender specific restroom? The world may be taking huge strides towards equality of all love, but the treatment of the LGBT community still has huge holes.
Many LGBT students are attacked or harassed while they are in public, multiple-stall restrooms, according to the Transgender Law Center. Gender-neutral restrooms can provide a safe alternative by providing a single occupancy stall without displaying a gender label. Over 150 schools offer gender-neutral restrooms and the list continues to grow. Most schools also post a list of available restrooms online with directions to each location.
Cal Poly seems to support this trend and has posted 16 single stall, all-gender options, as well as three single stall gender specific stalls. Is this enough compared to the size of the campus?
Earlier this school year, SDSU held a “Sh*t In” to raise awareness of gender neutrality of the restrooms around their campus. They pointed out how the gender-neutral bathrooms were in inconvenient places and did not provide proper access to students.
Feeling safe while doing a very basic human activity is crucial. Society no longer separates people by their race, so why are we still singling out those who don’t fit in to typical gender identities? The need for gender neutrality does not stop with the LGBT community. A person with a disability who has a caretaker of an opposite sex would benefit from these options just as much. The rising acceptance of the LGBT community is a great step for society. However, this doesn’t mean we can settle for little progress when we can be providing even more options.
So, Cal Poly, let’s “Learn by Doing,” and help make this campus an accepting environment to everyone, in every situation.