Columnist Kenyetta Whitfield discusses why adding more gender neutral bathroom will make Ohio University more inclusive.
On an average day, I go through Baker Center at least twice. Due to this frequency, it is inevitable that bathroom breaks slip into my routine. Each time I’m faced with the inconvenient task of a trip to the restroom, there is little thought to it. The right side is women’s, the left is men's. It is elementary, basic and unchallenging for me to remember or to decide. However, this is not the case for everyone on Ohio University’s campus.
Gender neutral bathrooms, or all-gender bathrooms, would be a great way for OU to provide an inclusive environment for all of its students. A safe and comfortable space for students who are non-binary or anywhere else on the gender spectrum is the next step in showing that the university can be a safe space for all of its students and faculty. Currently there are more than 150 schools across the United States that have gender neutral bathrooms.
According to the LGBT Center, OU has more than 30 single-user restrooms across campus. However, many are in administrative buildings, and some greens only have them in select dorms. Although single-user bathrooms provide the safety and comfort of exclusion, they can be inaccessible. It should be a point of focus for the university to make more visible and accessible gender neutral bathrooms.
For the 2015-2016 academic year, OU implemented a preferred name policy and allowed students to indicate their pronouns. These changes many seem small to some students, but they were a step in the right direction to make the university a more inclusive space. While the changes probably profoundly affected students who are trans or non-binary, they also affect gender conforming students. The same could be said for gender neutral bathrooms.
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Many activists have maintained that gender neutral bathrooms are not “just” for those who do not conform to the gender binary. They are to create a safe space for all. With all the constant construction taking place on OU’s campus, there is no reason why each floor of a new building shouldn’t have a gender neutral bathroom.
Kenyetta Whitfield is a sophomore studying journalism. Do you think OU should have more gender neutral bathrooms? Tweet Kenyetta @Ken_Whitty or email her at kw162913@ohio.edu.
