By Christina Lépine – Features Editor

The Bishop’s campus has changed a lot in the past years with the renovation of the Library Learning Commons, the SUB, and the Sports Complex pool, as well as the of the Purple Pod and the New Residence Hall along with more projects currently underway. This plethora of renovations and construction also brought a great asset to campus: gender neutral bathrooms. 

Traditionally, gendered restrooms can be a delicate situation to navigate through for non-binary, transgender, intersex and other gender non-conforming individuals, all of whom face higher rates of sexual assault than cisgender people. The solution to this is usually in the form of non-gendered spaces, which are easy to implement on a small scale, but can face pushback in more public spaces like libraries and concert halls.

It is now possible for everyone on campus to access gender neutral bathrooms in the Purple Pod, the Library Learning Commons, as well as in the Johnson building and several of the residences. It is a great initiative from the school administration, as it goes along the pursuit of their commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Unfortunately, all classroom buildings which have not been recently renovated and the Sports Complex does not offer gender neutral bathrooms.

Student Leo Webster shares his experience as he mentions “when I’m in Nicolls between classes I have to decide whether to use the men’s bathroom, which isn’t ideal, or walk to another building and maybe be late to class. It’s having to make those decisions that can be an extra stressor. I’ve never been bothered while using the men’s room at Bishop’s, but I’ve had past experiences that make me cautious.” This decision-making burden is one that a cisgender person does not experience on a daily basis.

Webster mentions “I think a cultural shift could be helpful, because I think there’s an expectation that the gendered bathrooms are only for biological men or women, and everyone else is doing something wrong. It may be that someone doesn’t have a better option when given those two choices.” This reflection brings the expectation of gender neutral bathrooms in all new buildings as well as renovated buildings. Webster said, “In general, I’ve found Bishop’s to be an inclusive community, and I really like the design of the library and the Purple Pod.” This positive feeling demonstrates the efficiency of the inclusive initiatives taken by Bishop’s in their last construction plans. 

The campus is full of great buildings, mostly in close proximity to one another, which reduces the burden of having to walk between buildings to find a gender neutral bathroom. However, it represents a bigger issue at the Sports Complex. Indeed, this big facility is great to practice sports, workout, and study, but it is far from all renovated buildings now offering gender neutral bathrooms. The introduction of women and gender non-conforming exclusive hours at the gym is a big step forward.

It is to be hoped that the next on-campus constructions and renovations will include gender neutral bathrooms, notably in the Kwigw8mna building, to continue along Bishop’s efforts to pursue their commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.