Sarah Jacobson
Gender has been a very hot, yet complicated, topic for a long time. There are multiple sexes people are assigned at birth - including male, female, and intersex - as well as multiple different variations of gender identity - including male, female, genderfluid, nonbinary, transgender, you name it. People who struggle with gender identity face many challenges in their lives, with a big one being restrooms and locker rooms. Many public buildings have the traditional gender-specific male and female restrooms, which is how it’s been for many decades. Some also have gender-neutral locker rooms, which anyone can use no matter their gender identity.
Central already has a few single-user restrooms throughout the building, which are gender-neutral, but we need to take it a step further: locker rooms. Central High School should have gender-neutral locker rooms, which any student can use no matter their gender identity. This would make our facilities more inclusive. For instance, deciding which locker room/restroom to use is often a challenge for transgender people. In a recent US survey of people who identify as transgender, nearly one in ten thousand report that they’ve been denied access, or have been bullied and threatened for using the “wrong” restroom or locker room (https://www.washwareessentials.co.uk/). Gender-neutral locker rooms would eliminate the need for having to choose between two gender-specific bathrooms.
There are many, however, who believe that having gender-inclusive locker rooms isn't such a good idea, with the two main concerns being safety and privacy. A big safety concern is an increase of bullying and inappropriate behavior, as well as the concern that people (men specifically) could wrongly take advantage of unisex locker rooms, which can lead to a big rise in sexual assault cases. This is quite baffling to think about, which is why it is especially important that extra measures of security be taken in these types of locker rooms. There should be an increased number of private stalls and showers, and the stall doors should be designed so that they are “gap-free”, so that there are no sightlines. There should also be an increased number of supervisors in these rooms. Another concern is that transgender or nonbinary people may feel singled out; many have experienced bullying from other students for waiting in the line for gender-neutral restrooms (https://beachcomber.news/content/wilson%E2%80%99s-proposed-gender-neutral-locker-room-safer-you-may-think). This is especially true when places have gender-neutral rooms alongside gender-specific ones. This concern is quite valid, especially given that people who are yet to publicly come out as queer are singled out when seen going in or waiting in the line for one of these restrooms. Because of this, many schools have made their facilities so that there are no gender-specific restrooms, and everyone uses the same one. However, not everyone may feel comfortable with this idea, and there may be some who feel more comfortable with just their own gender.
Gender-neutral facilities can benefit not only transgender and nonbinary people, but also people with disabilities who have a caregiver or aid of the opposite gender, or just people in general who desire privacy for any reason.
All in all, whether or not to still keep gender-specific locker rooms is quite a complicated deal. However, whether we keep the traditional male and female locker rooms or not, Central should have at least a couple of gender-neutral locker rooms. While there are many concerns regarding safety, privacy, and bullying, extra measures can be put in place to help prevent them, so that we can still have an inclusive space for everyone.