Santos 1

Camryn Santos
Professor Anderson
English 207
4/9/16
Restrooms and Gender Neutrality on Campus
The Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) and The Ohio State University of Newark
(OSU-N) are diverse and accepting learning environments, with a sizable population of LGBT
students and staff. However, while policies are in place for faculty to remain accepting and openminded toward such individuals, the facilities the institutions provide fail to follow suit. While
many students take the availability of restrooms in each building for granted, their accessibility is
not available for all. As such, many transgendered students have recently begun calling for
neutral restrooms to be established across the COTC/OSU campus.
As it stands, the campus features three gender-neutral, single-occupant restrooms. Two
are accessible to the public, while one is only accessible to employees of The Table of Contents,
in the Warner Center, as it is located in the office area of the kitchen. The most commonly known
public restroom available to all genders is located in the Gateway area of Hopewell Hall, while
the other, less commonly known facility is located in the North Classroom Building.
It is the hope of many studentstransgendered students, specificallythat more
facilities will begin to be established throughout the campus. While there are currently no laws
affecting the State of Ohio, mandating people make use of the restrooms designated for members
of their sex, many transgendered students find difficulty using such facilities. Others too, may

Santos 2
find complications in using the restrooms that align with their gender, as they may make others
uncomfortable.
These students are faced with three problemsEither they risk being ostracized or
assaulted by their peers for using a restroom that doesnt necessarily conform to their outward
appearance, they risk making others uncomfortable by using the facilities associated with their
gender, or they must trek across campus, missing valuable lecture time, for a simple trip to the
restroom.
Many state and local governments have begun establishing laws, informally known as
Bathroom Bills or Show Me Your Papers Laws. Such articles of legislation aim to prevent
transgendered individuals from utilizing the facilities corresponding with their genders.
Supporters of the laws believe that transgendered individuals may prey on women and children
in the restroom, or that allowing them into the restrooms of their gender will open the door for
sexual predators to dress in drag to gain access to the Ladies Room. Luckily, the State of Ohio,
the City of Newark, COTC, and OSU-N lack such laws and policies.
That kind of injustice of prohibiting transwomen from using the bathroom is not
happening on my campus. (Gulick, September 17, 2015)
There are multiple potential solutions to the issue, but one of the simplest would be to
change the signs of restrooms which see little use, to reflect their new neutral designations. Each
building has at least two pairs of Male and Female-oriented restrooms, yet only one pair tends to
see regular use. Signs could be changed on one pair of seldom used restrooms in each building,
allowing for neutral and sexually segregated facilities in each. With a cost of less than $20.00 per
sign, and with a total of 10 buildings on campus, this change would cost the schools roughly

Santos 3
$200. (ULINE) Considering the income each institution sees each semester, this cost is
negligible.
Some institutions have begun to take part in this practice. For example, the main,
Columbus-based campus of The Ohio State University has several residential buildings
designated as neutral, with lodging and restroom facilities open to all genders.
Park-Stradley Hall is slated to have two floors solely equipped with gender-neutral
bathrooms next year depending on demand, Student Life spokesman Dave Isaacs said Thursday.
Gender-neutral bathrooms have a common sink area with multiple separate rooms off of that area
that each hold a toilet and a shower.
Park-Stradley currently has two gender-neutral bathrooms on every floor. It is one of
three residence halls to include gender-neutral bathrooms.
Smith-Steeb has two on every floor, and Scholars West has three gender-neutral
bathrooms in each wing.
Gender-neutral bathrooms are also located throughout [Main Campus] in various
buildings, but one OSU official said its hard to say how many there are. (Drummer, 2014)
All members of the communitytransgendered or cisgendershould have easy access to
necessary facilities, such as restrooms, which they feel comfortable using, and that do not force
them to travel to another building to make use of. Changing the designations of a restroom or
two in each building on campus is as simple as writing a check and hanging a picture. With as
painless as the solution may be, COTC and OSU-N would be foolish not to consider the option.

Santos 4

Works Cited
Drummer, Alex. "Ohio State Adding Gender-Neutral Restrooms as Dorm Option." The Lantern.
The Ohio State University, 7 Jan. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
<http://thelantern.com/2014/01/ohio-state-adding-gender-neutral-bathrooms-dormoption/>.
Gulick, Max "Personal Interview." E-mail interview. September 17, 2015.
Unisex Handicap Restroom Sign." ULINE. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-15599BL/Warehouse-Signs/Unisex-HandicapRestroom-Sign-Plastic-Black?pricode=WY863&gadtype=pla&id=S15599BL&gclid=Cj0KEQjwl-e4BRCwqeWkv8TWqOoBEiQAMocbP92vktHcccwmyBvxabRIVKubT53XXXGR0csQtS6rAcaAicC8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds>.