Multi-user all-gender washrooms are now open at the University of Mississauga, an initiative announced by Professor Ulrich Krull, UTM’s interim vice president and principal.

Six single-gender washrooms have been transformed into multi-user all-gender facilities in the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex, Deerfield Hall and the Communication, Culture, and Technology building. The initiative is intended to make all members of the UTM community feel comfortable, including transgender people and families with young children.

Nic Westrate, the interim Equity and Diversity Officer at UTM, told The Varsity that the project was carried out due to feedback from students, staff, and faculty at UTM.

“[They] expressed the need for a working and learning environment that has more washroom options, including multi-user all-gender washrooms that are conveniently located,” he said. The plan is to install multi-user all-gender facilities at every building on UTM campus.

This is just the beginning of the project, and Westrate says that planning for the next phase is underway.

“We’ve moved closer to embodying U of T’s institutional commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive community that is welcoming of diversity,” he explained.