Last September, University of California President Janet Napolitano ordered the university to designate more all-gender restrooms on its campuses, in order to improve the safety of trans and gender nonconforming people. President Napolitano stated that “UC should be the gold standard where these issues are concerned.”
Since then, UC-Berkeley has not created a single new all-gender restroom. Some of the existing restrooms that the university claims are “all gender” are in fact multi-user restrooms labeled with single-gender signage. The university acknowledges that trans and gender nonconforming people do not have adequate and safe access to restrooms on campus, but has taken no concrete steps to protect them.
On Tuesday, March 3rd, a number of restrooms in campus buildings were temporarily re-designated “all gender” in order to provide the safety and access for trans and gender nonconforming people that the university claims to support. Several students involved in this action were harassed and followed by university staff, and two were detained and threatened by university police.
As members of UC-Berkeley, we call on Chancellor Dirks to 1) expedite the process of re-designating restrooms as “all gender” in order to address the safety needs of trans and gender nonconforming people on campus; and 2) see that no student conduct or criminal charges be brought against students for posting “all gender” restroom signs.
Signed,
UC-Berkeley Bathroom Brigade
Faculty signatories:
Judith Butler, Professor of Comparative Literature
Ivonne del Valle, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese
Raka Ray, Professor of Sociology and SSEAS and Chair of Sociology
Leslie Salzinger, Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies
Susan Schweik, Professor of English
Charis Thompson, Professor and Chair of Gender and Women's Studies
