Viewpoints

Gender Neutral Bathrooms Are In Effect

At “The Center,” a meeting place for LGBTQ people in Greenwich Village, gender neutral bathrooms are already a reality.

However, outside of this community meeting place, many trans people feel isolated because they have been restricted to only using bathrooms that reflect their biological gender.

Destiny Elizabeth, who was biologically born a woman but identifies as both male and female, said she went into a school girls bathroom dressed as a male and had a bad experience.

“I didn’t feel comfortable being there,” said Destiny.

Levi, a transgender male, said it’s important to have the option of gender neutral bathrooms so trans people can feel comfortable.

“Gender neutral bathrooms would be great, that way people in the trans community or gender fluids can walk in and feel comfortable without having any dirty looks given to them or even being kicked out because of their biological gender,” said Levi.

The discrimination against the trans community also impacts a wide variety of people who identify themselves outside traditional societal norms. Agender, non-binary, and gender non-conformists, are just a few identities under the trans* umbrella.

“Gender neutral bathrooms are a great idea because there can’t be any judgement of what people identify as. It would be great for people who identify as agender or non binary.” said Grace Goff, 15.

According to some, some trans people struggle when deciding which bathroom they truly belong in.

“I didn’t know which bathroom to use–I thought it would be safe if I were to use the men’s restroom,” said Garland Guidry, 40, a transgender woman. “The most troubling part was the fact that I didn’t know.”

Members of the transgender community say the lack of gender neutral bathrooms is a widespread issue. According to the UCLA Law School’s gender neutral bathroom survey, 70 percent of transgenders are denied access to the bathrooms of their choice because of how they identify themselves. Nearly 26 percent of transgender students are excluded from accessing the bathrooms at school, giving rise to indignation from the transgender community and its supporters.

“It [gender neutral bathrooms] needs to be a thing,” said Mackenzie Welsh, 17. “What do the people who are genderfluid do? They get backlash for going into either or both bathrooms.”

Levi explained that transgenders should have the right to choose either way.

“Hey, I’m a male despite what part I have downstairs and I have the right to use the restroom,” said Levi.