By Indeaki Rune, Y13
This question has been asked by many students over the past years and as more students have come out over the years, the question has become more pertinent. There are numerous responses to the question being asked (and both sides have equally good questions).
For about two years, teacher bathrooms have been associated with being gender-neutral, and that still stands today. For example, in the Centre Des Arts, the teachers’ bathrooms can be used by people who do not conform to gender. So the movement for a gender-neutral bathroom has somewhat taken place. However, the teacher bathrooms are not as accessible in other parts of the school, and most LGBTQ+ people would rather they be able to have their bathroom at least in every building.
Nearly two-thirds of transgender students avoid using the bathrooms because they feel unsafe or unwelcome by their fellow students. They risk bullying and abuse no matter which gendered bathroom they enter. Feeling unsafe or unwelcome in a school that is international and supposedly offers a safe space for all students means this problem need to be dealt with. All students should feel comfortable enough to go to the bathroom in peace and not have to worry whenever they enter. This small action can really help students overall and help them feel a lot safer within the school.
The reason why people would want a gender-neutral bathroom is because of their gender. People who do not identify as a boy or a girl would prefer to have another bathroom because they do not belong in the girls or boys bathroom. Going to a bathroom that does not correspond to their gender makes a lot of LGBTQ+ students feel dysphoric which seriously affects their mental health. Dysphoria is something which should be avoided at all costs, especially because of the damaging effects it has on people. Only people who do not identify as men or women would use these, as well as people who are questioning their gender. This bathroom could also be used as a safe haven for transgender people who do not feel able to use the boys or girls bathrooms either because of bullying or because they do not want to take that step yet.
Overall it seems like these gender-neutral bathrooms might be a good thing. However, some people have had concerns about them. Some suggested the bathrooms will cost too much, however in a school as expensive as this one, the costs of some more bathrooms here and there should not affect it that much. Another concern, which came from an Instagram poll was that “the vast majority of people who are comfortable with their assigned gender do not need to make themselves uncomfortable to accommodate for a tiny minority”. Let’s break this down: no one would be forced to go into these gender-neutral bathrooms if they didn’t want to, therefore not affecting anyone who is comfortable with simply sticking to the gendered bathrooms. This subject isn’t extremist as it is just talking about people’s rights to be able to go to the bathroom.
Once again, anybody who does not want to does not have to use these bathrooms. Gender-neutral bathrooms would primarily be for students who are gender-neutral or transgender, allowing them to be able to use the bathroom in peace without facing the negative effects of having to choose a gendered bathroom.
