Why Gender Neutral Bathrooms Matter

A Note From North Carolina

by TK Lawrence (she/her/hers and he/him/his)

(TK has been a part of the HPA volunteer staff since July 2014. She is the U.S. Mid-Atlantic liaison, on the training/GLA team, and founded the Asheville HPA chapter.

This essay is part of our series of writing from trans people for our Protego campaign, which fights for trans rights and safe spaces. If you have a story or perspective you’d like to share, email katieb@thehpalliance.org)

When House Bill 2 was signed in March 2016, it marked an historic moment in our country as the first passed bill mandating anti-transgender discrimination. The state of North Carolina now requires public buildings (including schools, colleges, government offices, libraries, hospitals, etc.) to segregate people into using the restroom corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate. North Carolina legislators have introduced changes to the bill, but the only thing that will make this law non-discriminatory is to demand lawmakers repeal it. As a genderfluid person living in North Carolina, House Bill 2 and its hopeful repeal have a direct impact on my life and the lives of my trans and non-binary friends.

Using the restroom safely and comfortably should be a right, not a privilege. Everyone should be able to use the restroom that best suits their gender identity, and no one should have to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or harassed in doing so. The recent influx of anti-trans bills has made this basic scenario difficult for the trans community. Schools without anti-discriminatory bathroom policies or gender neutral bathrooms, in particular, can cause tremendous stress for their trans students.

Working towards gender neutral bathrooms in schools will not only serve to protect the rights of trans youth, but also ensure that their learning environment is a safe and welcoming place.

Schools are meant to be places of learning and growth. Students who feel afraid, harassed, bullied, unwelcome, unaccepted, and unsafe are less likely to do well in school. If a student is unable to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity at school, they may feel any or all of these things. They might also choose not to use the restroom at all, which can cause severe discomfort and health problems. Schools that allow trans and gender nonconforming students to use the restroom that fits their gender identity best are allowing those students to feel safe and respected.

Using gender neutral signs and allowing restrooms to be gender neutral is a huge step toward making trans and nonbinary students feel better about their learning environment.

The National Center for Trans Equality is currently running a campaign called Flush Discrimination. You can take action right now with the American Civil Liberties Union to pressure North Carolina lawmakers to repeal House Bill 2. On their campaign webpage, you can sign a pledge to be part of the solution to ending discrimination against the trans community. They also have signs you can print out, and they encourage you to post a video or picture of yourself with the sign and the hashtag #FlushDiscrimination. Find out more at transequality.org/flush.

What can you do?

• Contact your local school board and request that single stall restrooms have gender neutral bathroom signs.
• Ask your local school board what they are doing to protect trans students’ rights in their school.
• Check out this toolkit, as it answers many questions and concerns you might have about gender neutral restrooms.
• Visit thehpalliance.org/protegonorthcarolina to tell my home state that it’s time to respect trans North Carolinians and repeal House Bill 2!
• Learn more about and support the Harry Potter Alliance’s Protego campaign.