FIU is currently installing a gender-neutral bathroom in Graham Center and another will be added in Recreation Services’ Rec Center during its expansion later this year. These will be in addition to the nine existing gender-neutral bathrooms in Housing and the one family bathroom in Rec Center.
With an estimated 10 percent of the FIU community identifying as LGBTQ, the request for gender-neutral bathrooms has grown, and allows students and faculty to use the restroom without having to identify with one specific gender.
“Gender neutral bathrooms should be the norm not the exception,” said Gisela Vega, associate director, LGBTQA Initiatives. “In some public spaces such as shopping malls and restaurants, they are already the norm.”
Some areas of campus have taken notice and either converted or are planning for gender-neutral bathrooms to be included in future construction plans.
Housing converted eight bathrooms to gender-neutral in September 2014 located in Parkview, Everglades, and Lakeview North and South. Joe Paulick, director of housing, decided to make the conversion, which only required a change in signage.
“Anywhere where there is a new building or where it is cost affordable it should be done,” he said.
Depending on the existing structure costs can range from $10 to change signage to thousands to install water lines, drainage and other construction costs.
Recreation Services has a family bathroom which serves as gender-neutral, located on the second floor of the Rec Center. An expansion that will be completed by Fall 2016 will include two more gender-neutral bathrooms, in addition to a gender-neutral shower.
Gender-neutral bathrooms not only allow transgender students easy access and privacy in the bathroom, but affords the majority of the student population the same opportunity. Gender-neutral bathrooms can also accommodate the handicapped student population. For example, caretakers of the opposite gender can assist students without complications of being in the “wrong” bathroom.
According to Vega, the work to create gender-neutral bathrooms was started by a group of students in 2012, but will continue to grow as the LGBTQ population increases on campus. Last year alone, LGBTQA Initiatives had more than 400 students, faculty and staff participate in the LGBTQA 3D Series, which are diversity presentations offered throughout the year to bring awareness and education to LGBTQA topics and concerns to the FIU community. They now sponsor a float at the annual Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade, with more than 300 participants, and have 40 students, faculty and staff in the LGBTQA Mentors program.
– By Amanda Graham
[…] More gender-neutral bathrooms planned for FIU […]
I am so excited to hear FIU is supporting gender-neutral restrooms. This is a huge step for any university toward creating an inclusive environment. However, I am a little concerned about the signage being used for the restrooms. Having the traditional male and female figure depicted does not make the restroom gender-neutral, but actually reinforces a gender binary. I think a truly inclusive restroom, an “all gender restroom”, would have signage with objects within a restroom such as a toilet, a sink, hands being washed, etc. Then gender truly does not have a part in defining the restroom.
are this new bathrooms for a single person? Being a woman, I don’t like the idea of sharing the bathroom at the same time with other men…
Either being a mother, I don’t like my teenager to share the bathroom at the same time with and elder man.
Same thing with gender neutral showers….
Ella SA, the bathrooms and shower are single stalls, so there would not be any sharing. It’s the same set up as a family restroom, as you may have seen in Target or other retail stores.
-Jamie Giller, Assistant Director, Marketing & PR for Student Affairs
I’m only surprised that it’s the LGBTQA community that’s underpinning this movement (if I can say that).
I want more straight community involvement in on this, and it should be that way.
C’mon straight community, this isn’t a gay issue, it’s a progressive potty issue. Step into the future!
But I swear; seats down, and keep it neat.
It is imperative that you are a good American and that you are socially responsible.
Police your personal splash, and in the U.S. we don’t throw our used biffy paper in the corner of the stall…we flush it!
Why didn’t FIU ask for a vote from the student body before deciding to establish these bathrooms? This is offensive to many of us who do not wish to pour our tax dollars into something that is impractical and unnecessary. If transgenders have to have their own bathrooms, then they should not be allowed to use a woman’s bathroom or men’s bathroom.
The point of the transgender bathrooms are so they won’t HAVE TO use the one-gender facility. FIU, like many other universities, are accommodating for the growing student population. Obviously there was a vote to get these bathrooms installed. Why are people acting like this is so taboo? Have you never seen a “family” bathroom at Walmart or something? Same concept. If the school was building regular bathrooms, no one would be talking. But since they’re gender neutral and he LGBTQ community asked for it, it’s impractical and unnecessary. What should those POOR (not pour) dollars be used on then?
dont you guys think there a more important ways to spend our tuition dollars than changing water lines and bathroom signage which has been working just fine for over 50 years ??
…no.
There’s this, and then there are other ways as well.
Spend it all; do it all.
AMEN to that!