September 2020 387 C&RL News Selene Colburn is assistant to the dean for external relations and dance liaison at the University of Vermont Libraries, David H. Howe Memorial Library, email: selene. colburn@uvm.edu © 2020 Selene Colburn Selene Colburn Beyond the bathroom wars Increasing gender-free restroom access in libraries In May 2016, protesters affiliated with the student organization Justice for Queer and Trans Students occupied the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Dean of Libraries’ office to demand that the David W. Howe Memorial Library (then known as the Bailey/Howe Library) immediately convert select gender-segregated rest- rooms—meaning those labeled for use for only men or only women—to gender-free restrooms1 to accommodate the needs of trans and gender non-conforming students2 during spring finals week. The protest fol- lowed the delivery of a petition with more than 1,000 signatures seeking change, as well as ongoing conversations between the libraries and student activists. Student organizer Lindsey “Z.” McCarron told The Vermont Cynic, “This is an immediate and real need that is affecting people’s health and safety every day.”3 At the time, the four-story Howe Li- brary was home to one single-occupancy, gender-free restroom on its ground floor. Students had a hard time locating it, and outdated signage created additional con- fusion about who could use it. Though this facility had been among the earliest gender-free restrooms on campus, students argued that the library, and many of its campus peers, had failed to keep up with university demands and best practices. These protests occurred against a back- drop of national debate and legislation, occasionally dubbed the “bathroom wars,” that sought to govern how trans Americans could access restrooms. In March 2016, the North Carolina legislature passed the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act. This legislation required individuals to use restrooms or changing facilities in state buildings that corresponded to their sex at birth and prevented municipalities from enacting local antidiscrimination ordinances. The act increased national, media, and activist attention on the issue of restroom access for trans people. Since 2013, legislation has been intro- duced in at least 24 states to enact similar limits on restroom access, though no com- parable bills have passed into law.4 Some states and municipalities have worked to increase gender-free restroom access or to protect the rights of trans restroom users. Why gender-free restrooms matter Gender-free restrooms can be beneficial for many library patrons, including users who need assistance in bathrooms (e.g., small children, elders, or individuals with disabili- ties) and have caretakers of a different gen- der. Gender-free restrooms may also reduce overall lines.5 For trans or gender nonconforming patrons, access to a gender-free restroom mailto:selene.colburn%40uvm.edu?subject= mailto:selene.colburn%40uvm.edu?subject= C&RL News September 2020 388 is not just a matter of convenience, but a crucial health and safety issue. Individu- als may spend long periods of their day without access to a restroom they can use free of fear, harassment, or even physical assault. This can lead to urinary tract infec- tions, constipation, and complications in the form of more serious health issues. In- dividuals may refrain from drinking fluids throughout the day and may even sustain injuries from attacks. Some people avoid going out in public due to a lack of safe restroom facilities.6 A r e c e n t s t u d y found that trans col- lege and university student respondents who were denied ac- cess to restrooms or housing in a college setting because of their gender expres- sion, were at greater risk for suicidality, even after control- ling for other fac- tors.7 Forcing users to choose a bathroom based on gender also can be an unwel- come form of outing. Finally, patrons may have a hard time studying or finding infor- mation if they are distracted by the need to use a bathroom or if they have to leave a campus library to find a safe restroom. The act of creating access to gender- free restrooms aligns with value statements for the library profession, including ALA’s “Access to Library Resources and Services Regardless of Sex, Gender Identity, Gender Expression or Sexual Orientation” state- ment that says, “library services, materi- als, and programs [must] be available to all members of the community the library serves, without regard to sex, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.”8 Building better bathrooms Student protests at UVM quickly led to the formation of a Gender-Inclusive Restroom Task Force comprised of university stu- dents, administrators, faculty, and staff who worked intensively during the summer of 2016 to develop campus-wide recommen- dations.9 Plans to expand gender-free rest- room access in the Howe Library and other facilities continued simultaneously, with stu- dent input. Converting a restroom from singled- gendered to gender-free can be as simple a s m a k i n g a n i n - expensive change in signage. Several issues and consid- erations frequently arise in such transi- tions. Signage and lan- guage There are huge varia- tions in labeling gen- der-free restrooms. Pictograms on signs range from depic- tions of multiple in- dividuals (in attempts to represent various genders), to symbols, to images of toilets. Language on signage might read “all-gender,” “gender-free,” “gender-inclusive,” “gender- neutral,” or “uni-sex,” or they might include playful interpretations, such as “everybody” or “just wash your hands.” Student activists at UVM had a clear request that aligned with what advocates around the country increas- ingly see as best practice:10 call the restroom a restroom and depict what a user can ex- pect to find inside (toilets, urinals, changing tables, accessibility features, etc.). This ap- proach avoids the potential for reinforcing a binary understanding of gender, which might continue to feel exclusionary to library users who identify as genderless or nonbinary. As one member of UVM’s taskforce observed, Gender-free restroom signage from at the Howe Library. Courtesy of Matt Heywood/Image Farm. September 2020 389 C&RL News there should be no question that restrooms are intended for humans. Single-stall and multi-stall access Student activists at UVM were clear that they wanted both single-stall and multi-stall restroom conversions. While the concept of multi-stall, gender-free restrooms exists in other parts of the world and has been adapted in the United States, this request produced some discomfort. Some employ- ees raised concerns about both safety and privacy. Activists noted that there was no evidence that safety would be compromised and lots of evidence that safety would in- crease, particularly for students most at risk. They argued that multi-stall, gender-free restrooms could normalize the peaceful co-existance of a diverse range of gender expressions and provide additional sets of eyes on any concerning behaviors that might arise. The library addressed privacy concerns by adding additional hardware to partitions between stalls in gender-free, multi-stall restrooms. Some task force members ob- served that this privacy enhancement would benefit users of all multi-stall restrooms, not just those defined as gender-free, and that heightened privacy is not an inherent need for gender-free restrooms. Internal training and concerns The Howe Library engaged staff from the UVM Prism Center (formerly the LBTQA Center) for relevant cultural competency training and pragmatic discussion with li- brary faculty and staff about upcoming changes. Additionally, the library provided in-depth talking points and background information so workers were prepared to handle any incidents or complaints. This helped to build internal buy-in and confi- dence. Libraries without access to a campus LGBTQ+ Center could partner with institu- tional diversity, equity, and inclusion initia- tives or local community organizations. While expanding gender-free restroom access is an important and useful step, UVM believes that limiting anyone’s rest- room access only to include gender-free restrooms should be avoided. The library provided this guidance: “All students who identify as male or female are welcome to use the corresponding restroom and should not be asked to re-locate to a single-use or [gender-free] restroom.” Additional renovation considerations External laws and regulations may determine what a library is able to accomplish. Signifi- cant renovations will likely require a library to bring its restroom up to current Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act standards, if this is not already the case. Local legislation, or- dinances, and building and plumbing codes may apply. Some states and municipalities adopt versions of the International Plumb- ing Code that require bathroom fixtures be counted by gender. Libraries should check local ordinances and work proactively to re- solve issues with the appropriate oversight bodies and institutional departments. “A Genuine Success Story” In fall 2016, the Howe Library opened four new gender-free restrooms on its second and third floors, including two multi-stall restrooms, each of which can accommodate two users at a time. An additional single-oc- cupancy, gender-free restroom was created as part of renovations to the library’s first floor in 2017. Howe Library is now home to six gender-free restrooms, accommodat- ing eight simultaneous users, with access on each of the library’s four floors. Library staff report that, with thou- sands of visitors a day, they’ve received zero complaints and some praise for the restrooms. Circulation Director Angus Roberston said, “Our experience with the opening of the gender-neutral restrooms has been entirely positive, and I consider it a genuine success story.”11 McCarron, one of the lead student orga- nizers, said, “While there is still more work to do, the changes in the library have made a difference for students. It was meaning- C&RL News September 2020 390 ful to see that our efforts could produce change.”12 Throughout this work, the UVM Libraries have been indebted to students for leading the way and for their thorough and persistent advocacy for best practices. Notes 1. I use the term gender-free restroom over a number of alternatives, because it describes a relationship to restrooms that does not rely on a particular understanding of gender. I’m indebted to staff at Outright Ver- mont for their perspective on best practices. 2. Throughout this article I use the term trans, rather than transgender, in hopes of employing the most inclusive and encompass- ing language available. For definitions and discussion of the terms trans, transgender, and gender non-conforming, see GLAAD, “GLAAD Media Reference Guide – Transgen- der,” accessed September 27, 2019, https:// www.glaad.org/reference/transgender. 3. “Bathroom Laws Ignite Activism,” The Vermont Cynic, May 7, 2016, https:// vtcynic.com/culture/life/bathroom-laws- ignite-activism/. 4. Joellen Kralik, “‘Bathroom Bill’ Leg- islative Tracking,” National Conference of State Legislatures, July 28, 2017, http://www. ncsl.org/research/education/-bathroom-bill -legislative-tracking635951130.aspx. See also, Diana Ali, “The Rise and Fall of the Bathroom Bill: State Legislation Affecting Trans and Non- binary People,” April 2, 2019, NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education https://www.naspa.org/rpi/posts/the-rise -and-fall-of-the-bathroom-bill-state-legislation -affecting-trans-ge. 5. Ghent University-based “queueing theorists” found that bathroom wait times are significantly longer for women and could potentially be reduced from six minutes to a minute and a half by transitioning to gender- free restrooms. Ghent University, “No more queueing at the ladies’ room: How transgen- der-friendliness may help in battling female- unfriendly toilet culture,” ScienceDaily, July 14, 2017, https://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2017/07/170714142749.htm. 6. Mark A. Schuster, Sari L. Reisner, and Sarah E. Onorato, “Beyond Bathrooms – Meet- ing the Health Needs of Transgender People,” New England Jour nal of Medicine 375 (July 2016):101-103, https://doi.org/10.1056 /NEJMp1605912; Jeff Brady, “When a Trans- gender Person Uses a Public Restroom, Who is at Risk?,” National Public Radio, May 15, 2016, www.npr.org/2016/05/15/477954537 /when-a-transgender-person-uses-a-public -bathroom-who-is-at-risk; and Jody Herman, “Gendered Restrooms and Minority Stress: The Public Regulation of Gender and its Impact on Transgender People’s Lives,” The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, June 2013, https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu /research/transgender-issues/herman-jpmss- june-2013/. 7. Kristie L. Seelman, “Transgender Adults’ Access to College Bathrooms and Housing and the Relationship to Suicidality,” Journal of Homosexuality 63, no. 10 (2016): 1378- 1399, https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2016. 1157998. 8. “Core Values of Librarianship,” ALA, adopted January 2019, http://www.ala.org /advocacy/intfreedom/corevalues and “Access to Library Resources and Services Regardless of Sex, Gender Identity, Gender Expression or Sexual Orientation,” ALA, adopted June 30, 1993, last amended July 2, 2008, www.ala.org / a d v o c a c y / i n t f r e e d o m / l i b r a r y b i l l /interpretations/accesslgbt. 9. Dot Brauer et al., Gender-Inclusive Restroom Task Force Report: Findings and Recommendations (Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, 2016), https://www.uvm.edu/ sites/default/files/media/GIRTReport.pdf. 10. For a deeply funny and highly sen- sible take on this, see Sam Killermann, “Solu- tion for the ‘Confusing’ Gender Neutral Toilet Sign Issue,” It’s Pronounced Metrosexual, accessed September 27, 2019, https://www. itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2014/04 /gender-neutral-bathroom-sign/. 11. Angus Robertson, email communica- tion to the author, June 12, 2019. 12. 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