Students remain outraged by the bathroom situation at UD

This past year, the transgender narrative has finally found its way into mainstream media. So why has it not found its way onto our campus? Attention needs to be brought to the issue of all gender bathrooms, specifically the lack there of.

UD needs to make a move

Our University is able to adapt to social change, yet I’m willing to bet most students do not even realize there is an issue here. This can be attributed to that fact that it doesn’t effect their daily lives – mainly because the majority of us identify as cisgender. However, for our peers who this does effect, it is life altering.

UD claims to have ‘gender-neutral’ restrooms on campus, but many are male-or-female-identifying single stall facilities.

This signage on the door still refers to only two genders, and excludes any non-binary individuals.

Additionally, to even find where these facilities are on campus, one has to dig tirelessly through the UD website before stumbling upon a three-year-old document that has an array of mistakes and misinformation. The few single stall facilities we do have are disgusting, unkempt, and unfit for any student.

How you can help your peers

This issue has yet to make its way up the ropes to administration. Nat Veiga, a trans-identifying sophomore here at the University of Delaware, cannot understand why this issue isn’t being talked about.

“I would like to think that the administration would care about every student, but instead we feel completely isolated. It’s not being attended to at all. There is no excuse—everyone’s talking about it. Why is the problem not being addressed when the timing is perfect?” Nat is one of many students on this campus questioning when they will be able to use basic facilities like their fellow peers.

Another student here at UD, Eli Daniels, voiced their daily frustrations with finding facilities that accommodate them.

“I go from Gore Hall to the Music Building just to pee, which is about two blocks away. I cannot use the bathroom in Trabant, because it requires a key. I have to be content with my situation, and I feel like I can’t even demand to use the bathroom as a normal student.”

These are real students on our campus. Students whose lives would be vastly impacted just by changing the sign on a door. Why is something seemingly so minor so difficult to get changed?

We need to convince staff members to care too

There is a large student population that I am willing to bet would fight for gender neutral bathrooms. Luckily, I also know several staff members at the University that are willing to get behind the cause. Professor Bueno-Hansen from the Women’s Studies Department hopes to see more done: “Let’s make facilities more accessible and move away from reinforcing the gender binary.”

If we can even get staff here to make a stand, we can make this happen.

Here is how you can stand with us

Administration needs to understand that this is an issue that needs to be fixed immediately. I ask that you sign the petition that mandates for the University to change the signage on all single-stall facilities from gender-oriented to saying either “All Gender”, “Restroom”, or a picture of a toilet.

One signature has the ability to change your peers’ lives on campus.