All-Gender Restrooms

What is the All-Gender Restroom Initiative?

The All-Gender Restrooms Initiative is a project to ensure that all students, employees, and guests have a place where they feel safe using the restroom. We are working to ensure that there is at least one accessible gender-inclusive restroom in each academic and administrative building. Currently, there are buildings on campus which have no gender-inclusive restroom option. The goal is not to turn every restroom into gender-inclusive, but to make sure that everybody has at least a choice in each building. Every all-gender restroom will also be equipped with free menstrual products. More information here.

Why do we need All-Gender Restrooms?

We recognize that there are members of our community who are transgender, non-binary, or fluid in their gender identity and/or gender expression who currently feel uncomfortable, underrepresented, and/or unsafe with the current restroom accessibility. We recognize we have parents in our community who may need to accompany a child into the restroom. We want to provide these gender-inclusive options for members of our community who use a wheelchair or need to be accompanied by an attendant or who need to accommodate a service/helper animal. 

In addition to psychological effects such as anxiety and fear of harassment, community members who feel unsafe in single-gender restrooms can risk UTIs and other medical problems. Additionally, all students are at their best academically and socially when they can access safe spaces on campus, and increasing the number of gender-inclusive restrooms is a way to provide more safety.

Further, Hastings College's non-discrimination policy includes gender identity and expression as a protected class, and gender-inclusive restrooms are one way we live up to that policy, especially because forcing trans or non-binary community members to use a traditionally gendered restroom repeatedly ‘outs’ them to other students or employees and stigmatizes them daily by singling them out.

Common Myths about Gender-Inclusive Restrooms

• Myth #1: There is no difference between a Gender-Inclusive Restroom and a Co-Ed Restroom.

• Fact #1: A co-ed restroom acknowledges only male and female whereas an All-Gender Restroom acknowledges the reality of multiple gender identities.

• Myth #2: Assault and harassment is a more common occurrence in Gender-Inclusive Restroom.

• Fact #2: Assaulters and harassers are not stopped by signs and will assault/harass regardless of whether or not a restroom is gendered. Trans people actually risk MORE assault and harassment within gendered restrooms than cisgender people.

• Myth #3: Gendered restrooms are being completely removed from the campus. I will not have a choice.

• Fact #3: The point of this project is to provide everyone with a choice in academic and administrative buildings, and providing everyone with access to a restroom where they can feel safe. All-gender restrooms restrooms will be accessible to ALL students, employees, and guests regardless of gender identity and expression. Gender identity and expression are built into and protected under Hasting's non-discrimination policy, yet currently trans and gender-nonconforming students, employees, and guests are not provided a choice for restroom safety and comfort in most academic and administrative buildings. Only some restrooms will change to gender inclusive, and the remainder of the restrooms will remain unchanged.

What’s next for the All-Gender Restroom Initiative?

Action steps:

1. Do campus-wide education efforts (in progress)

2. Make individual plans for each of the academic and administrative buildings listed below that currently have no option for gender-inclusive restrooms to modify or create at least one floor of accessible, gender-inclusive restrooms, in consultation with employees who oversee and use the facilities. The buildings are as followed:

   1. Hazelrigg Student Union

   2. Kiewit Building

   3. Morrison-Reeves Science Center

   4. Scott Studio Theatre

3. Have the College commit to building at least one accessible gender-inclusive restroom in every new and/or renovated building