It is encouraging to see society promoting a culture of respect, equal access, and diversity
All-gender washrooms have become increasingly prominent in North-American society, particularly on college campuses in recent months.
Single-gender washrooms have been a point of contention among self-identified non-binary people. This group is forced to conform to two gender categories in public situations, which leads to the uncomfortable result of meeting negative reactions in one restroom, and the fear of physical confrontation in the other.
All-gender washrooms achieve integration in a de-segregated, barrier-free environment for members of any gender. They also minimize the need for people to ask for individual accommodation. They are more convenient, considering that occasionally there will only be one gender’s washroom per floor of a building, which can cause confusion and distress to those trying to find the right one. These washrooms offer a greater sense of community, and may be kept cleaner by users than typical single gender bathrooms because of a heightened awareness of members of the opposite sex.
“I mean, it’d be a great way to meet people, but I’d be a little uncomfortable with going about my regular business,” says Brian, a Civil Engineering student at U of T. Another student, Zachary*, voiced his concern for the lack of security that all-gender washrooms may present for users, making them more susceptible to sexual assault or other acts of violence that might arise.
Arguments against all-gender washrooms don’t apply, however, to single-stall washrooms, which are a more popular alternative. To name a few, single-stall all-gender washrooms have been set up at the University of British Columbia, McGill University, the University of Calgary, Western University, Queen’s University, and our very own University of Toronto.
As noted by Huffington Post, “Gender-Neutral washrooms are quietly becoming the new thing at colleges.” As a result, awareness for the prevention of discrimination of the LGBTQ community has risen. In January 2014, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a policy on preventing discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression. In the United States, “a West Hollywood law requiring all single-stall washrooms in businesses and public areas to become gender-neutral” went into effect last Tuesday. The law “mandates that any facility designed for use by no more than one person not be restricted to a specific sex or gender identity by signage, design, or installation of fixtures.”
Although multiple-stall all gender washrooms may not be preferred to single-stall, it is encouraging to see society moving towards promoting a culture of respect, equal access, and diversity, one stall at a time.
*Name changed at student’s request.
Alexandra Yao is a first-year student at Woodsworth College studying English and history.
The facilities might be neutral, but the debate is not
As ‘gender-neutral’ or ‘all-gendered’ washrooms become an increasingly noticeable social phenomenon, especially in universities, the reasoning behind their introduction has become equally apparent. The primary motivation for establishing all-gendered washrooms is to put an end to the discrimination of non-binary people, who often face harassment or questioning when using the traditionally gendered male or female facilities. However, this change does not fall positively on everyone.
The notion of sharing such an intimate space with members of the opposite gender, or who identify outside of the binary, is confusing for many people. As a student from the University of Victoria (UVIC) in British Columbia, where all-gendered washrooms were introduced in 2012, states, “You spend your entire life being segregated from each other, it’s just really weird.” As CTV noted at the time, “[Students] don’t feel comfortable doing what they have to in a space shared by the opposite gender.”
The responses from UVIC speak to the difficulties of having to reckon with changing centuries of cultural influence. In Olga Gershenenson and Barbara Penner’s Ladies and Gents: Public Toilets and Gender, the authors explain how “Private, sex-segregated lavatories were a modern Western European invention, bound up with urbanization, the rise of sanitary reform, the privation of the bodily functions, and the gendered ideology of separate spheres.”
Previously, washrooms in public workplaces were not gendered because women weren’t employed in those spaces. But as time has passed, women have joined men in the workforce, necessitating the development of dual facilities.
In some cases, the installation of gender-neutral washrooms may increase the discrimination and separation of genders. Alice Shen writes in the Mcgill Daily, “Forcing individuals to choose a single-stall washroom, especially if gendered washrooms are nearby, can mark people as different and even potentially out them as trans.” In other words, cisgender people might prefer gendered washrooms to facilities that could draw attention to them — namely, a gender-neutral option.
Bill C-279, an act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code of Canada, endorses the idea of all-gendered washrooms as good policy for all organizations in the country. However, the group Canada Family Action — a self-described “citizens action organization” that advises and facilitates Canadians on influencing their government — is taking a stand against the bill because of its terminology. According to the group, the terms ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ are without legal definitions, and therefore leave judges and human rights commissions to interpret their meaning on a case-to-base basis. As a consequence, terms like ‘gender expression’ are fluid as far as the law is concerned.
It goes without saying that the introduction of all-gendered washrooms, should they continue to grow and become a prevalent part of our public lives, will be a difficult change. Institutions like U of T are a relatively safe and accepting place in which to test the washrooms’ efficacy, but perhaps there should be a more open debate regarding the potential consequences and implications of their introduction to the masses.
Megan Yim is a second-year student at University College studying English.
