Show Unisex restrooms on every Iambus campus Shar Brannam Campus Reporter All AH campuses will soon have neutral gender-neutral restrooms some of them with the privacy of single- single person occupancy According to Gordon Storrs Master Planning coordinator at and p past st co-advisor co of Coloring Qu Outside side the Lines the gay gad lesbian bisexual and f student club at SI CC the restrooms make se sense se for two reasons The f first cit is that parents arent aren't always ays able to accompany ib their ir opposite-gender opposite young young children to a public restroom The other reason for the need for unisex restrooms is for people who are Earlier this year at the Redwood campus a male- male born bom student was touching up her makeup in the women's restroom and a complaint was issued MaryEtta Chase happened to be around otherwise they would woul have arrested this person said Storrs Chase is the assistant registrar at and the current co-advisor co of Coloring Outside the Lines I found something as simple as every person needs a restroom turn to something very misunderstood Chase said Where are the restrooms for and transsexual persons at Chases' Chases concern turned to action when Deneece Huftalin vice president of Student Affairs organized a committee with key persons at it The goal of the committee is to provide one unisex restroom at iT C 0 f. f J L' L II r I 7 d J t 0 rr I j AC IV t a j i J i I L i r-L r T I I I 1 T. T J Photo by Rob Unisex restrooms will be built to provide a safer environment for students At least one will be provided at each campus every major building at the Redwood campus and one restroom per campus at all other campuses Chases' Chases goal as asan an n initial committee member is to have a safe and comfortable restroom for all ll staff students faculty and guests at including persons While the majority of people take for granted the right to use a public restroom there are some who fear this every time Can you i imagine agine sai said Chase Restrooms Continued on page 2 Unisex Restrooms Continued from page 1 I Definitions of are varied Some individuals choose hormones to more closely match their physical body to their psychological gender identity and others use a combination of hormones and surgery Others use neither Still others dont don't necessarily 1 ves as decidedly one sex or the theother theother theother other having a more fluid gender identity All of them are potential victims oft oft- public embarrassment or worse Those Those who do opt for surgery must go through intense psychological al counseling before gaining approval for the surgery tv Then a gram of hormone therapy begins to to change their body features They generally have to live a year as the sex that they want to become that they think they are already said Storrs The year one-year requirement stems from the enormity of the decision Some people are born bom literally in the wrong body They just never feel comfortable in the sex that shows on the outside said Storrs Both Storrs and Chase fear for the safety of people using the restrooms at If someone male is transitioning to female they dress Idress as female If they go into the male restroom they stand a chance of not only getting arrested but hurt Storrs said And if its it's a male mal changing to female they go into the female restroom and everybody's nervous and arid offended r and i they call the police So the person transitioning cant can't go anyplace Storrs said Storrs is pleased with the w decision to create unisex restrooms at 4 a very sensitive thing for them all to do To realize we have students on campus that dont don't feel safe said Storrs He added g that he believes is generally a safe place for forgay gay lesbian and r people The Student Code of Conduct prohibits any kind of ill treatment toward any student at and specifies that the college is is committed to equitable civil and concerned treatment of all individuals regardless of age gender race color national origin disabling conditions religion sexual orientation or veteran status status |