The University of Oregon is changing the way it labels some of its bathrooms. Over one hundred restrooms on campus are now considered “gender inclusive.”
One of the bathroom signs in UO’s Volcanology building reads “all gender.” Next to the wheelchair icon is the typical man or woman symbol, but only from the shoulders up. About 90 bathrooms now have this sign, or one that reads “multi-gender,” and more are to come.
Maure Smith-Benanti is director of LGBT services at the University. She says this is an important step in ensuring safety for UO students, staff, and visitors.
Smith-Benanti: “Restrooms and locker rooms—or gendered spaces really—can be particularly terrifying. That’s where a lot of the violence occurs against transgender people, gender variant people, or even folks who simply look androgynous.”
At least 14 future UO buildings currently under construction will have gender-inclusive facilities. Oregon State University and Portland Community College are also offering similar amenities.
