The case for gender-neutral bathrooms

Hana ChweContributorHana Chwe is a senior at Samo and the Senior Representative for Samo’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA). This is her first opinion article for The Samohi. Jewlyes Gutierrez, 16-year-old transgender student at Hercules High School in California, faced harassment and bullying for her gender identity for years, especially in sex-segregated bathrooms. A few months ago, she was attacked by three classmates. The injustice of her case has fueled a widespread effort to protest on behalf of transgender students.Gender-neutral bathrooms are a necessity because they offer non-gender binary students (like Jewlyes) a much-needed safe space to urinate without fear. Non-gender binary is an umbrella term that includes genderqueer people (who do not identify as male or female) and transgender people (whose gender does not align with their biological sex).The transphobia Jewlyes faces extends far beyond Hercules High School. According to PFLAG NYC (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in New York City), nearly a fifth of students are physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth because of their gender expression. About two-thirds of LGBT students reported having ever been sexually harassed (e.g., sexual remarks made, being touched inappropriately) in school in the past year. Additionally, the average GPA for students who were frequently physically harassed because of their sexual orientation was half a grade lower than that of other students.PFLAG NYC’s data applies to Samo, as the consequences of having sex-segregated bathrooms affect our own community. During the day, Samo students who identify as non-gender binary often are either forced to hold their bladders (which can cause discomfort) or use the bathroom in the nurse’s office, which is typically reserved to ill students. To correct an age-old myth, being trans is not an illness: it is a gender identity that Samo should acknowledge and accept. Additionally, since Samo is so large, students can’t manage the long walk to the nurse’s office without being tardy for their next class. Most importantly, if they risk using a public restroom nearby, they might be bullied or even attacked, like Jewlyes Gutierrez.The accessibility of gender-neutral bathrooms is a rapidly growing trend. Many colleges have opened up their urinals and dorms to all genders to accommodate their students’ needs. There’s even a website (safe2pee.org) that tracks gender neutral bathrooms based on location. In 2011, California passed the Fair Education Act (nicknamed as the LGBT History Bill) which compels the inclusion of LGBT people and people with disabilities in educational textbooks. Last August, California’s governor signed into law the Assembly Bill no.1266 (School Success and Opportunity Act) which allows transgender students to participate in sex-segregated activities based on their gender identity, including sports, choirs, etc. Transgender students are allowed to decide which locker rooms and bathrooms to use without fear of harassment.Now that rules are in place, Samo can do its part in implementing them to promote equality. For the short term, we just ask for one bathroom. For the long term, GSA (Samo’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance club) aims to make multiple restrooms gender-neutral for accessibility for non-gender binary students. Samo’s LGBT community and their allies are lobbying for a change that is long overdue: the right to pee may not seem like a big deal, but it is to those who are denied it.