Gender-Neutral Bathrooms

We want to open the floor for a discussion about gender-neutral restrooms. Although this is an easily-overlooked issue for most people, the segregation of restrooms based on sex causes confusion, distress and/or frustration for many people. How many times have you really had to go and a long line postponed your relief? Have you ever considered that transgender, transsexual, intersex, gender queer, and other persons who do not fit into the gender binary might face discrimination based their choice of restroom? Have you considered that your restrooms at home are gender-neutral, so why should things be any different at school?
90% of transgender students report feeling unsafe at school because of their gender expression, including their choice of restroom. Many of the restrooms here on Denison’s campus are completely identical and single-occupancy yet are still segregated by sex. By removing gendered spaces on campus we encourage a more diverse student body to attend Denison and promote a more accepting atmosphere.
You may have seen our signs up near restrooms across campus. Our goal is to encourage student/faculty discourse about the nonexistence of gender-neutral restrooms at Denison and in the community at large. Whatever your opinion, whether you agree or disagree or find this a non-issue, we encourage you to express it: write a response in the Bullsheet, join our Facebook event (Gender Neutral Restrooms – Denison University), send us an email (kushne_r@denison.edu), send in a letter (Slayter Box 9185), and most importantly, discuss among your peers.
We will be conducting interviews concerning gender neutral restrooms with students/faculty/members of the community throughout this week and the next—if you would like your opinion to be heard in an academic setting, please consider requesting to be interviewed (through email or Facebook)!