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A new sign designates a third floor unisex restroom at a Kent State University student center in Kent, Ohio. The newly relabeled unisex restroom has four images on the door: a man, a woman, a person in a wheelchair and a man and a woman separated by a slash.
national
Kent State joins trend of providing gender neutral restrooms
Concept is a growing trend on U.S. campuses
Published Thursday, 24-May-2007 in issue 1013
KENT, Ohio (AP) – Kent State University is accommodating transgender students with a newly relabeled unisex restroom that has four images on the door: a man, a woman, a person in a wheelchair and a man and a woman separated by a slash.
The concept, which the school hopes to expand in its new buildings and renovation projects, reflects a growing trend on U.S. campuses.
Kent State’s “gender neutral” bathroom is located in the campus student center near the offices of student organizations, including one that works on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.
The bathroom, near restrooms conventionally labeled “Men” and “Women,” has a single toilet, a sink, a diaper changing table and a power-assisted door for the handicapped. The campus map lists it as a “family restroom.”
The four-part sign on the bathroom’s door was affixed after the Queer Liberation Front campus organization asked about installing a unisex bathroom for transgender students.
Ron Kirksey, a university spokesperson, said the bathroom would meet the special needs of those beyond the transgender community. He downplayed the uniqueness of the arrangement and said the university has received no complaints.
“They’re everywhere. I saw them at Beachwood Mall the other day. They are in medical centers and professional buildings,” said Kirksey, adding that the university only changed the sign.
“There’s no sign up there that this is for transgender or anything. It’s for anyone who wants to use it.”
Gender neutral bathrooms have become more common on U.S. campuses, including at universities in Georgia, Massachusetts and Arizona.
Last week, a conservative group criticized Boise State for saying a new unisex restroom at its student center will accommodate transgender people.
Transgender is a term that covers people whose outward appearance and internal identity don’t match their gender at birth. Transgender people may fear harassment, violence and arrest when using traditional restrooms.
Kent State’s gender neutral bathroom was first reported by the campus newspaper just before the end of spring classes earlier this month.
The campus, which has a reputation for student activism, was mostly quiet Thursday, but the few students around seemed aware of the gender neutral bathroom arrangement and took it in stride.
“I don’t see it being a problem if just one person can occupy it,” said Wade Dixon, 22, a recent Kent State graduate from Cleveland.
Oberlin College, located about 45 miles west of Kent State, has gender neutral restrooms in its student union and in 14 residence halls, said Molly Tyson, the college’s director of residential education. The initiative started five years ago and now the college has a policy that every dorm with three or more restrooms must have at least one gender neutral restroom.
“Oberlin is a place that’s pretty accepting of most types of people to begin with. I don’t know that you can say it’s fostered more or less tolerance of transgender people,” Tyson said. “The Oberlin population is probably past that point.”
Students in Oberlin’s dorms vote each year on which bathroom each year will be an “all gender” restroom. The students in some dorms vote for all the restrooms to be all gender. A student, when entering the restroom, may temporarily flip a sign on the door to “women only” or “men only.”
“It seems to work out fine,” Tyson said. “The students don’t normally have complaints.”
Oberlin also has a residence hall that is specifically for women and transgender students.
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