Gender-Neutral Bathrooms Soon to be Installed
Bathrooms outside of the Performing Arts Center will become gender-neutral by the end of May
By Maxwell Moiseff
Bathrooms outside of the Performing Arts Center will become gender-neutral by the end of May
By Maxwell Moiseff
For many students, finding and using a school bathroom is nothing but a minor inconvenience. But for students who identify outside the traditional binary system of gender, it can be a much more difficult and uncomfortable experience.
Although Pioneer currently has a gender-neutral bathroom in the office, the administration has decided to convert the bathrooms outside the Performing Arts Center into single-occupancy gender-neutral bathrooms in response to feedback from students in the Gender Sexuality Alliance, a project planned to be completed by the end of May.
The suggestion for the gender-neutral bathrooms originated from seniors Nicole Le and Ryan Dunker. According to Le, the bathrooms will help transgender and nonbinary students feel more accepted.
“We do have (a gender neutral bathroom), but it’s in the office and no one knows about it. I think it was last year that we found out about it, and we talked to Mr. Espiritu about it,” said Le. “He (said), ‘We’re gonna build it in the PAC, to have everyone know about it, to have non-binary people to have access to bathrooms whenever they want to.’”
Le also said that gender-neutral bathrooms are a way to counteract the rise of alt-right internet personalities like “Gun Girl” Kaitlin Bennet.
“(Bennet) goes around and interviews people about trans men in men’s bathrooms and she was saying very offensive stuff about trans people,” said Le. “If you watch that interview, it just creates a discrimination against trans people and non-binary people, and (the bathrooms are) made to remove the stigma around that.”
According to Principal Herbert Espiritu, the board was eager to take action after the issue of gender-neutral bathrooms was brought up.
“The board really supports students who are pursuing this type of avenue to make things more equitable and more accessible for students,” said Espiritu. “They actually have a board policy around that, and there’s steps that each school has to take.”
Although the bathrooms are primarily intended to benefit transgender and nonbinary students, GSA co-adviser Chanel Sulc stressed that the bathrooms are open to everyone.
“It can be used for anyone, but it’s especially helpful for students who are trans or are non-binary, who don’t feel comfortable using the gendered bathrooms,” said Sulc.
According to the other GSA co-adviser, Danni McConnell, the renovation will help make using the bathroom for convenient for transgender and non-binary students.
“I think the primary benefits are for our non-binary kids who don’t necessarily identify as male or female who may be (transgender). Some students have to walk all the way to the nurse’s office, and if you’re in the portables, that’s a very far walk,” said McConnell. “The PAC is also a far walk, but opening more gender neutral bathrooms on campus will allow more access for students who want to use those bathrooms.”
Although Pioneer currently has a gender-neutral bathroom in the office, the administration has decided to convert the bathrooms outside the Performing Arts Center into single-occupancy gender-neutral bathrooms in response to feedback from students in the Gender Sexuality Alliance, a project planned to be completed by the end of May.
The suggestion for the gender-neutral bathrooms originated from seniors Nicole Le and Ryan Dunker. According to Le, the bathrooms will help transgender and nonbinary students feel more accepted.
“We do have (a gender neutral bathroom), but it’s in the office and no one knows about it. I think it was last year that we found out about it, and we talked to Mr. Espiritu about it,” said Le. “He (said), ‘We’re gonna build it in the PAC, to have everyone know about it, to have non-binary people to have access to bathrooms whenever they want to.’”
Le also said that gender-neutral bathrooms are a way to counteract the rise of alt-right internet personalities like “Gun Girl” Kaitlin Bennet.
“(Bennet) goes around and interviews people about trans men in men’s bathrooms and she was saying very offensive stuff about trans people,” said Le. “If you watch that interview, it just creates a discrimination against trans people and non-binary people, and (the bathrooms are) made to remove the stigma around that.”
According to Principal Herbert Espiritu, the board was eager to take action after the issue of gender-neutral bathrooms was brought up.
“The board really supports students who are pursuing this type of avenue to make things more equitable and more accessible for students,” said Espiritu. “They actually have a board policy around that, and there’s steps that each school has to take.”
Although the bathrooms are primarily intended to benefit transgender and nonbinary students, GSA co-adviser Chanel Sulc stressed that the bathrooms are open to everyone.
“It can be used for anyone, but it’s especially helpful for students who are trans or are non-binary, who don’t feel comfortable using the gendered bathrooms,” said Sulc.
According to the other GSA co-adviser, Danni McConnell, the renovation will help make using the bathroom for convenient for transgender and non-binary students.
“I think the primary benefits are for our non-binary kids who don’t necessarily identify as male or female who may be (transgender). Some students have to walk all the way to the nurse’s office, and if you’re in the portables, that’s a very far walk,” said McConnell. “The PAC is also a far walk, but opening more gender neutral bathrooms on campus will allow more access for students who want to use those bathrooms.”