Anyone familiar with the freshman dorms knows that something is always happening in McBride. The colorful cinder-block walls have seen more than their fair share of social gatherings, hookups, and, more recently, controversies.
Around the second week of school, one bathroom on each level of the dorm was changed to become “gender-neutral,” allowing students of either gender to use the facilities. The change was met by a mixture of approval, apathy, and, in some cases, anger as certain students felt something was being taken away from them.
Although the change to gender-neutral happened around a month ago, the bathrooms are still being vandalized. Signs indicating their status as gender-neutral have been repeatedly torn down, and students have reported seeing crude things written inside of the stalls. Why is there still so much outrage brewing over a bathroom, and why did the College designate them as gender-neutral at all? I was baffled by the backlash against such a small adjustment and set out to speak to other students to get their take on the matter.
Gender-neutral bathrooms and housing options at colleges have become much more popular within the last few years as the drive to become more inclusive gets ever stronger. They provide a space free of judgment and stigma that might be attached to other, gendered bathrooms. However, they are not just for those who find themselves outside of the gender binary. Neutral bathrooms are a safe space where anyone, regardless of gender identity or expression, can feel comfortable using.
This is the first year that Kenyon has implemented gender-neutral spaces on such a large scale. The initiative goes back to several resolutions passed by the Campus Senate last year. Most students and faculty, including President Decatur, have been enthusiastic about the changes in the hopes that others will feel more secure and accepted.
I spoke to several McBride residents, and most of them were appreciative of the effort to be more inclusive of all students. While some said they would not be using the bathroom, especially for showers, others said that they welcomed the change. “The gender-neutral bathrooms are nice to have since sometimes, you are just so much closer to one and you don’t have to walk through the winding hallways of McBride,” said one student, and many others echoed this appreciation of newfound convenience. Most were just as confused by the apparent outrage as I was.
Residents who were upset about the switch did not wish to give official comments but said they felt uncomfortable using a bathroom alongside someone of the opposite gender. Some felt it was unfair because most of the bathrooms that were affected by the change were men’s restrooms. Others wished that each individual floor could vote on whether or not they wished to have a bathroom designated as gender-neutral. None, however, said anything negative about creating a safe space for those with non-binary gender identities or expressions of those identities.
Gender-neutral bathrooms are, in my opinion, an excellent addition to a campus that is, for the most part, aware of problems facing minority communities and more than willing to discuss and implement solutions to those difficulties. Let’s face it, one bathroom per floor designated as gender-neutral is a small inconvenience: it’s still open for anyone to use and there are still gendered bathrooms on each floor. The reward for this inconvenience – someone feeling safe, comfortable, and accepted in their living space – essentially cancels out any negative effects others might be feeling.
Exciting progress is being made in LGBTQIA+ acceptance and inclusion, both on-campus and off. While change can sometimes be difficult to adjust to, it is important to keep fellow students and their needs in mind. Kenyon is an incredible, warm community, and it would be a shame for anyone to feel excluded from that community for any reason. Gender-neutral bathrooms are a relatively small change that can have a large effect on someone’s comfort, happiness, and overall college experience.
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