Dear Grebel Administration,
We, the undersigned students in the Grebel community, support the implementation of a gender-neutral washroom in the 4th floor short end starting in the Fall 2019 academic term.
Use of this washroom will be entirely voluntary – no student who is uncomfortable with sharing their washroom with other genders will be placed in the 4th floor short end. This will be ensured by adding a question to the roommate survey specifying whether the student is a) only comfortable using a gendered washroom, b) only comfortable using the gender-neutral washroom, or c) comfortable using either.
Why is a gender-neutral washroom necessary?
Students required to use a washroom that does not align with their gender identity may feel uncomfortable or unsafe. (Think about if you were required to use a washroom that did not align with your gender identity.) For nonbinary individuals, neither the male nor the female washrooms align with their gender identity. Gender-neutral washrooms are non-gendered spaces where anyone of any gender can feel safe.
Currently, the only gender-neutral washrooms in the Grebel Building are the washrooms in the chapel foyer and those in the basement of the academic wing. That area of the academic wing is closed at night, and the chapel is closed to students when it is booked out for an event. There is no gender-neutral washroom within the residence portion of the building that is always accessible.
As an inclusive community, we need to strive to make sure all members of the community feel comfortable and safe. Nonbinary students deserve to have a washroom within the residence that they are comfortable using, like all the other students do.
Another suggestion that has been considered to solve this issue is to renovate all the washrooms in the residence to become single-stall. However, a large-scale renovation like this cannot be started until after the current building project has been completed. We need inclusion now. There are current and incoming students who need gender-neutral washrooms, and they deserve equal access to our facilities.
