GENDER-NEUTRAL WASHROOMS AND SAFETY

30/7/2019

GENDER-NEUTRAL WASHROOMS AND SAFETY

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Gendered public washrooms are not the only option

by Tarah Hodgkinson

Gender-neutral washrooms are popping up all over metropolitan areas, including universities, government buildings, community centers, and trendy cafes. Many of these washrooms existed long before they were labeled “gender-neutral.” They were simply single-use washroom facilities in places that didn’t have room for more than one washroom.

There has been a lot of concern over the last few years regarding gender-neutral washrooms. Are they more dangerous? Are they putting women and children at risk of potential predators? What does the research say and how we can move forward in making safe spaces for everyone?

Single-use washrooms have been around for a long time

We’ve written in this blog before about how bathrooms are a basic human right. However, for many non-binary and trans people, proposed anti-trans laws in the United States make a simple, human action a political and personal minefield.

WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS

The research doesn’t support the concerns around safety issues. Gender-neutral washrooms (or even washrooms that allow you to choose based on your self-identified gender) do not make bathrooms unsafe for women or children. Incidents are rare in the first place and have been found to be completely unrelated to legal decisions.

Second, gender-neutral washrooms improve safety for those who identify as trans or non-binary. These individuals suffer much higher rates of intimidation and harassment than the general population and, therefore, creating safe washrooms can improve safety for the trans population while not increasing risks for others.

Third, gender-neutral washrooms benefit more than the non-binary and trans community. These washrooms improve accessibility issues and reduce wait times for women since women spend slightly more time in the bathroom than men.

Everyone needs to pee in safety

Women who attend large events, like a concert or the theatre, are acutely aware of the long lines for women’s washrooms. In fact, some sporting facilities have increased the number of washrooms for men, creating further disparities in access to washrooms for women.

Some might laugh off the problem of women’s washroom lines, but if you are dealing with an invisible disability or you are pregnant, the lack of easily accessible washrooms can lead to some major issues.

The fact is, from all the available research, concerns about safety and gender-neutral washrooms are not based on the empirical evidence. Instead, they appear based on the politics of exclusion! And even with all the available evidence, decisions about safety should not only be based only on research; they should also protect those who are the most marginalized and at-risk in our communities.

Sometimes that means just changing the sign on the door.

3 Comments

Han

7/3/2023 21:30:48

Just because you say gender-neutral bathrooms are safe, does not make them so. Would you feel OK sending a girl to a public bathroom where you don't know who is inside or where men are present? As long as men behave as predators, women will not feel safe, especially in place of such high vulnerability. It is dumb to turn everything upside down and only make MORE people uncomfortable while not making it safer for non-binery or trans anyway, who could always make their own decision about which bathroom to use. My friends who's young (16) daughter was brutally killed in a public gender-neutral bathroom in daytime could explain to you what should matter when making decisions to "simply change the signs on the doors". Not politics of inclusion. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Your article is purely written and the reasoning confused.

Tarah Hodgkinson

12/3/2023 12:00:57

Hi Han,

Thank you for your comment. I'm sorry to hear about your friend's daughter. What a tragic loss.

You identified that I didn't provide any evidence. This is a fair critique. I've included some links to the research that supported my argument.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13178-018-0335-z?fbclid=IwAR2LGtTo-FBL1TXb1Ih1MJFovdeqMLdsEw0LpCPq6b9b1iKWwW_x2Vevuuc

You will see that they find not only do these laws not result in any reductions in violent events, that these events are incredibly rare in the first place.

While the example you provided is deeply saddening, it is in fact a very rare case. It is important that we continue to create policy and legislation that protects all people. If that legislation is not preventing these attacks, it is only harming non-binary, trans, and gender fluid people who do NOT simply have the choice to use whatever washroom they want, and are at a greater risk of victimization when they choose a washroom that reflects their gender identity.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X21003372

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10538720.2014.891091

In terms of future design, one way we can further prevent these rare crimes on cisgender individuals is through single stall gender neutral washrooms. These are often more inclusive for all genders, cleaner, safer, and healthier for those with a myriad of other bathroom needs that extend beyond just gender.

https://www.genderinclassrooms.com/single-post/2019/03/31/the-benefits-to-all-gender-single-stall-bathrooms

Tarah

Ariel M

22/3/2023 08:58:35

I was wondering what your stance on gender neutral bathrooms with showers is. My campus recently started converting all dorm restrooms /shower rooms into all gender areas. Showers in my opinion are a much more vulnerable topic and area for both cis and transgender folk alike. Although this is a showroom where there a multiple individual stalls, it still is a concern when it comes to heightened vulnerability for women such as myself and transgender folk alike.

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