Comments on: Transgender Vt. teen wants genderless bathrooms

By: Randy Cragin

Randy Cragin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:55:35 +0000

With the idea that their are usually more than one set of gender specific bathrooms in most schools, assigning gender neutral status to one set doesn’t sound like a huge sacrifice to me. It’s about labeling. And those finding it easier to use a restroom that doesn’t specify gender would have a place to go. Most gender assured students would stick to the gender specific bathrooms. I may be out on a limb here, but most transgendered people cannot easily identify with anyone gender assured and would seem safe enough to share a bathroom with for those who are neither extremely feminine or masculine. As a gay person I would have no problem going into a bathroom with either sex. The controversy of a guy in a girl’s bathroom is a none issue and I’m going to be going into a bathroom with other guys either way. Personal bathrooms are well and good if your lucky enough to have one in your school. I often used the one in my middle school. I personally don’t suggest new construction, just some relabeling. I wouldn’t be at all surprised at how many people would find more comfort in a unisex bathroom than a gender specific one. @commentors saying other kids would vandalize these bathrooms are just exaggerating a little bit. Any vandalizing of any bathroom would be treated the same way, discouraged and unacceptable. @commentors saying education versus gender non-specific bathrooms, having these would actually be educational to students in acceptance of society of LGBT students in of itself.

By: Yhitzak

Yhitzak — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:40:36 +0000

Any of you railing AGAINST gender neutral bathrooms have obviously never had security called on you, been threatened verbally or physically, or had to deal with explaining your desire to empty your bladder to whole groups of people. “Family” restrooms are not enough.

By: Jessica K

Jessica K — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:10:24 +0000

Bathroom politics can cause a huge problem for the trans person in transition. The girl in question can’t use the girls room because she hasn’t had her naughty bits changed yet (I assume). When she uses the mens room she is attacked.

She is in a no win situation so a genderless bathroom, even the signal stall one would work great. I bet that every one in the school already knows all about her (gossip mill…) so trying to be more of one or another wont work.

I went to nursing school with a transgendered person and she was made to use the signal stall bathroom due to the politics.

By: Yukkuri

Yukkuri — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:53:12 +0000

While I have sympathy for their situation, I’m not sure additional bathrooms is a good idea, and that’s not just due to the financial costs.

If a gender-neutral (Am I even using the right term? Despite being ‘LGBT’ I’m not all that smart on the ‘T’) bathroom is added to high schools and middle schools, what is really going to stop students from just vandalizing it? Or just using it themselves as a joke to humiliate their transgendered peers even more?

By: Alex

Alex — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:56:17 +0000

Not everyone can conform to a single, narrow, socially defined concept of gender one way or the other. Some people just don’t, and people like that, regardless of which bathroom they choose to go into, will be harassed for being different. For example, I am male, and I have no intention of changing this whatsoever, so therefore I (reluctantly) use the men’s rooms. But that does not mean that I feel safe in there, nor does it mean that people will just leave me alone. Simply “choosing a side” is not a valid choice for all people. So really, gender neutral bathrooms (the big kinds, not simply special individual bathrooms) are there for more people than just expressly trans people. Of course there would be logistical problems in the beginning, and so on and so forth, but there would be those kinds of problems for any major change, and it should not dissuade us from seeking to fix a problem. Facilities in which we can all feel safe and comfortable in are NOT a ‘special right’ or ‘selfish demand.’ It’s simply a necessity born out of an increasingly diverse society as people find new and unusual ways of identifying and expressing themselves. If you suggest that trans people simply try to conform better so that they can safely use a gendered bathroom, you might as well suggest that gays who want to get married to suck it up and find someone of the opposite gender to do so.

By: FDC1353

FDC1353 — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:49:36 +0000

I sympathize with this teen, but we cannot expect to change everything in the world for an individual. I am Gay and
understand being different, but I don’t expect Gay bathrooms! Pick a side and use that bathroom! If you are dressed as a woman than I guess you go into the woman’s bathroom. This world is out of control with demands. If I were shy, should I expect personal bathrooms. Let’s try to stop with the selfishness and go with facilities for the masses. That’s life and we can’t always have our own way.

By: Wayne M.

Wayne M. — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:55:45 +0000

I had always been negative to gender neutral public washrooms until I visited Scandinavia back in 2006. I discovered that the gender neutral washrooms there were more secure and more private than our gender specific washrooms. When one knows the facts, they will also know that there can be no moral or safety problems concerning gender-neutral washrooms. So, let’s change!

By: MavsFan

MavsFan — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:01:40 +0000

Just an idea. I know at least in my schools there was always a single-person bathroom in the nurse’s office. If s/he does not feel safe or comfortable in one of the gender specific restrooms provided, then that may be a safe alternative.

I think it is a little ridiculous to mandate that a school also have a gender neutral bathroom. And I can also invision that this student’s peers know that s/he uses the one specific gender-neutral bathroom, and attempts would be made to vandalize the room, door etc. And I can only imagine a gang of students waiting outside the restroom prepared to harrass the student exiting the gender neutral restroom! (Would a guard or some teacher supervision then need to be posted outside the restroom?!) Has this idea really been thought all the way through?

By: Sara Bellum

Sara Bellum — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:55:08 +0000

I think we can all imagine a number of situations in which someone would feel uncomfortable in a group restroom, transgender or not. While I also think that many transgender people would prefer not to be singled out by being directed to an alternate restroom.

I would assume that most, if not all, schools have at least one single user restroom in the building. I don’t understand what additional cost there would be in allowing students who would prefer a private restroom, for whatever reason, to use it.

If it turns out that large numbers of students make that choice, we can just keep that in mind when building new schools.

By: andredjamil

andredjamil — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:35:35 +0000

I think it should get realized . knowing that we have our human rights .