Kent State opens
gender-neutral restroom

Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, recently recognized its transgender students by opening a gender-neutral restroom, joining a growing trend on U.S. campuses.

The unisex restroom was relabeled with a new sign bearing four images: a man, a woman, a person in a wheelchair, and a man and a woman separated by a slash. The bathroom, near restrooms bearing the conventional labels of "men" and "women," has a single toilet, a sink, a diaper-changing table, and a power-assisted door for the handicapped. Campus maps mark it as a "family restroom."

The bathroom was designated "gender-neutral" after the Queer Liberation Front asked university administration about opening a restroom inclusive to transgender students.

Roy Kirksey, a university official, said the bathroom would meet the special needs of those beyond the transgender population, reported the Associated Press. He stressed that gender-neutral restrooms are becoming more common, appearing in medical centers and office buildings.

"There's no sign up there that this is for transgender or anything," Kirksey explained to the Associated Press. "It's for anyone who wants to use it."

Gender-neutral restrooms are opening on campuses across the nation, including universities in Georgia, Massachusetts, and Arizona. (The Advocate)