The University of Toronto Students’ Union’s (UTSU) Vice-President Equity, Chimwemwe Alao, stated in his November 2017 report that the university has committed to making “all future buildings have ‘universal washrooms’ (washrooms that are accessible, and all-gendered in their design).”
Alao also reported that the university will establish “a committee in order to look at how current gendered washrooms can be retroactively fit to accommodate these universal washrooms.”
Althea Blackburn-Evans, Director of Media Relations at the university, confirmed that a meeting between the UTSU and the Office of the Vice-Provost Students involved a “brief conversation” on planning for more gender-neutral washrooms in the future.
In the report, Alao called the move toward universal washrooms “a huge victory,” and he said that the union is “waiting for the administration to allow us to share this information with our members.”
Blackburn-Evans said that the university’s Facilities & Services team have worked alongside the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office to include more gender-neutral washrooms and single-stall washrooms on campus, and to determine “gaps in washroom access.”
In addition, she explained that for several years now, Facilities & Services, in partnership with departments, have added many single-use bathrooms to buildings and will continue to do so.
The Centre for Women and Trans People has a map of all the public gender-neutral washrooms and single-stall washrooms available on campus.
Alao declined The Varsity’s request to comment further on this subject.
