So college has started, and you've probably noticed some things about the people around you. Just like in the rest of the world, there are all sorts of people, existing in all sorts of groups. College, as you're going to find, is a place where we all get our first chance to really determine who and what we are and want to be, without any negative feedback telling us we can't. Exploration of identity isn't a phenomenon in a vacuum; it can't be. At college, one thing that may surprise someone new and green comes in the movement behind something as simple as a bathroom.
The What
As the name implies, gender-neutral bathrooms are spaces where anyone can go and take care of their business, regardless of their orientation. Within the last several years, over 150 college campuses nationwide have introduced gender-neutral bathroom facilities within their campuses. Sometimes this means building new bathrooms altogether, while in other instances it necessitates converting an existing bathroom into a gender-neutral version (typically not requiring much more than a change in signage). Gender-neutral bathrooms are often stalls-only, reminding us all that urinals are honestly kind of silly to begin with.
The Why
The world of gender and sexuality is one that is being explored by the youth of today in unprecedented ways. Transgender rights campaigns are on the rise, and people are starting to a lot more questioning of what gender really means in the first place. At the base level, "male" and "female" are words we use for people based on the genitals they were born with, and a whole lot of social designations and assumptions come along with it. If you've ever found yourself questioning those constraints, it may interest you to know just how many people are finding themselves identifying with the realm of the gender-neutral, finding that they don't see themselves as fitting entirely into the boxes of "he" and "she."
As more people within college communities have identified as gender-neutral, accommodation has grown as well. If you hear a teacher on day 1 ask for your preferred pronouns, or even supply theirs, it's because issues of self-identification are more in the spotlight of our world than they have ever been. It's anyone's right to identify as one way or another, but it should also be your right to not identify as either. Hence the bathroom who doesn't particularly mind, either.
Most importantly, the You
Regardless of what you identify as, the question may have popped into your mind: am I allowed to go in there? I don't say it to in any way vilify the idea; quite the opposite, actually. The gender-neutral bathroom isn't exclusively a space for the gender-neutral, but for everyone and anyone. It doesn't matter if you use "they" pronouns and purposefully dress in neutral outfits, or see yourself as the peak of stereotypical masculinity or femininity; it's okay for you to go in there. Nobody will get mad. The whole concept of genderless spaces is to create more openness and acceptance. It's not to shut anyone out, but to make sure everyone can be let in if they want to.
The rise of LGBTQ+ awareness on college campuses is changing a lot of things, but remember this: newness does not need to equal otherness. You mind your own business in a mens or womens restroom, so as long as you do the same in a gender-neutral one, all will be well.
