While it may not be something that all students recognize, there are very few gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. With thousands of undergraduate students, Marquette needs to address this scarcity as an issue for the sake of students’ comfort and safety.
A study from the National Institute of Health and Medicine found that 70% of trans youth experienced trouble in accessing bathrooms, while 43% avoided toilets due to comfort or safety concerns. For cisgender people—those who identify with their gender assigned at birth—easily finding a comfortable bathroom is a privilege that goes unrecognized. However, this does not provide an excuse to neglect the comfort of non-cisgender people.
Having access to a bathroom that you feel comfortable and safe using is a privilege that cisgender people do not often consider. However, in order to make Marquette’s campus an inclusive space for all students, equal access to bathrooms is an aspect of gender equality that must be considered.
Currently, Marquette has gender-neutral bathrooms in some buildings, like on the second floor of the Lemonis Center for Student Success, in the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility and in the lobbies of all university-owned housing structures. While this may seem like an adequate number of bathrooms for students, these are not generally known spots nor easily accessible.
For example, in all dorm buildings, you must receive a key to access the lobby bathrooms, and upperclassmen living off-campus are not likely to utilize lobby bathrooms in dorms. Conversely, the gender-neutral bathroom in the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility is not located in a centralized area; instead, it is on the third floor, tucked in a corner by the track.
It does not help that these bathroom locations are not familiar to people. Due to a lack of knowledge and scarcity, students most likely have to hunt to find a gender-neutral restroom, which can become a burden.
The shortage of gender-neutral bathrooms is not only inconsiderate of non-gender-affirming students, but it speaks volumes about Marquette’s willingness to make all students feel welcome and respected.
Marquette must implement more of these bathrooms, making them accessible and convenient for students to use. Gender-neutral bathrooms should be in central places that don’t require students to walk out of their way simply to access a bathroom that they feel comfortable in.
They should also be welcoming and clean – Lemonis Center for Student Success does a great job of this, for its gender-neutral bathrooms are spacious, clean and contain free feminine products.
Many buildings on campus are old, but Marquette has made renovations to them as updates have been needed to adapt to the university’s needs. The university must consider LGBTQ+ students when making changes to buildings, as these updates impact all students on campus for years to come.
Marquette offers support for the LGBTQ+ community through campus resources and clubs. The LGBTQ+ Resource Center, located in the Alumni Memorial Union, provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ students by advocating for their needs and giving students the resources they need. They are open to diverse conversations with all individuals to recognize queer identities on campus.
Gender Sexuality Alliance is a student-led organization at Marquette that also aims to give queer students a voice. They build community through hosting regular meetings and bonding activities. Adding more inclusive bathrooms to campus would advocate for Marquette’s LGBTQ+ community and would allow allies to encourage this sense of belonging for all students.
Marquette prides itself on “cura personalis,” or “care for the whole person,” but not allowing all students to feel comfortable in their own skin contradicts this value. Marquette must focus on the needs of all students by installing gender-neutral bathrooms in accessible spaces across campus.
This article was written by Bella Gruber. She can be reached at [email protected].
