THE University of Newcastle will begin to roll out gender neutral toilets across the Callaghan, Ourimbah and NeWspace campuses from August.
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The toilets – which will display a special logo designed to indicate inclusiveness for men, women and people who identify as trans – will be officially opened as part of the university’s Pride Week activities.
The move came following feedback from trans students who said having to use male or female signed toilets was an uncomfortable experience for them.
“Some students who identify as trans or non-binary had to use bathrooms that didn’t correlate with their gender identity or expression,” the university’s equity and diversity coordinator Astrid Gearin said.
Non-binary is a term that can be used to describe individuals who do not identify as male or female.
“We at the university realised we had an opportunity to respond and better the experience of students,” Ms Gearin said.
“The university is really honouring inclusivity and supporting students in gender diversity.
“It’s a small step that will remove a lot of anxiety and the potential for negative experiences.
“Inclusion is being discussed and championed across the world and we are going to be seeing more organisations and businesses move toward gender neutral bathrooms and more inclusive workplaces.”
Luci Regan, 23, is a University of Newcastle student who identifies as trans. Luci said the decision was welcomed because the issue of which bathroom to use created stress for people who identify as trans.
“If you are a gender non-conforming person who doesn’t pass as a man or a woman you tend to get looked at or questioned, or your physical safety is at risk for using the bathroom you want to use,” Luci said. “At the moment I just use the disabled toilet because it’s generally open to anyone.
“Sometimes I will use the men’s toilet … and sometimes when I walk out, because I have a femme face, I’ve seen guys give me looks.”
They also pointed out that gender neutral public toilets were useful for parents who needed to toilet children of the opposite sex.
“A dad with a four-year-year old daughter, he can’t take her into the women’s toilet,” they said.
In the first phase, four gender neutral bathrooms will open on the Callaghan campus in late August.
Ms Gearin expects there will be more gender neutral toilets on the other campuses by the end of the year. The unisex toilets at NeWspace will have its signage changed.
Gendered bathrooms, male and female, will still be available on all campus.
