Gender Inclusive Restrooms Become More Convenient
Video by Jon Huntsman
Kent State University plans to build a great number of gender inclusive restrooms for the safety and convenience of members of the LGBTQ community.
Kent State recognizes the need for gender inclusive restrooms. With its campus evolving rapidly, gender inclusive restrooms are becoming more of a norm in the buildings.
“All the new academic buildings that are part of the Foundation of Excellence construction projects have at least one (gender inclusive restroom),” said Michael Bruder, Executive Director of Facilities, Planning and Design. “They serve a lot of different needs, we think they’re important.”
Gender inclusive restrooms is a single stall restroom that provides a suitable and safe area for people of all different backgrounds including people with disabilities, parents with young children or anyone who wants privacy, Bruder said. One major user of these restrooms are members of the Transgender community. Ken Ditlevson, the director of Kent’s LGBTQ Student Center said these restrooms eliminate humiliation or bullying that members of the community may face in a public restroom.
“This is just a safe environment that really protects our students,” Ditlevson said. “Restroom use is strictly a cultural and social norm.”
Emily Grubb, a student of LGBTQ community said People of the community may still feel uncomfortable using the restroom of their born sex. She said she is grateful for the gender inclusive restrooms because they save her from being harassed.
“We feel scared sometimes to even think about going into the restroom that we identify with,” Grubb said, “But we also feel scared to go to the restroom we were born as because there’s a lot of bullying. Universal restrooms are really the only way..”
Laws of Ohio including Cleveland’s Ordinance No. 1446-13 states people who identify as transgender have to use restrooms that identify with their born sex. Bruder said the gender inclusive restrooms build at Kent State considers this community.
“We like them to be convenient, but we also want them to be discreet,” Bruder said. “Some transgender individuals can feel threatened or unsafe, so by having a little bit more privacy when you’re going in and out of that restroom can be more appreciated.”
Ditlevson said he hopes to see more universal restrooms outside of the university, like Downtown Kent and student is trying to take this issue to city council in Kent.
“He’s trying to get some legislation around as they renovate buildings around Kent,” Ditlevson said. “I’m really excited that a student is bringing this need up and is kind of going to challenge the system.”
Although the city of Kent does not have a large amount of gender inclusive buildings, the university is set to see more designed in the upcoming years. He said the only thing that would stop them from building restrooms is money.
“There’s some academics that we would like to upgrade restrooms,” Bruder said. “We just haven’t been able to fund them for various reasons.”
Funding for the construction of these restrooms varies on each project. Bruder said for the main renovation and construction projects it’s just considered the cost of construction. Other funds come philanthropy and gifts or from capital allocation from the state.
“We get a capital bill every two years,” Bruder said. “Some of the construction that is under the way right now is under a bond proceeds that the university issued.”
For more information about gender neutral accommodations visit LGBTQ’s main page on Kent.edu.