What’s the first thing you think of when you need to go to the bathroom? It’s a strange question, but many transgender students think about what bathroom they should use. Should they risk their safety and go into the bathroom that aligns with their identity or should they risk their mental health and go into the bathroom that aligns with their biological sex? Either answer can cause problems for both the student themself and other students using the bathroom. A solution to this is Pennridge introducing more gender-neutral bathrooms to the high school.
“Some could benefit from them. I would never use it,” stated Kenza Issolah, a senior at Pennridge High School. She mentioned that it would be uncomfortable for most students to use a stall next to someone of the opposite sex. Issolah went on to say that as long as there were still gendered bathrooms in the school for those who would rather use them, she didn’t see a problem with them, but thought the four gender-neutral bathrooms at the high school were enough.
Micah Cassano, a senior and one of the leaders of the PHS Gay-Straight Alliance, did see a problem with this, though. “All of the gender-neutral bathrooms are on the third floor,” Cassano stated. This poses an issue for transgender students on other floors of the high school, as the pass system indicates that a student must stay on the floor their class is on. If a student is forced to ‘hold it in’ due to being uncomfortable, it can “lead to a urinary tract infection (UTI) as bacteria are more likely to sit in the bladder.”
“It can make people uncomfortable to use specific bathrooms,” said Cassano, “an equal space is just as important for them.” There has been a significant amount of controversy over which bathroom transgender people should be using in general. Bathrooms can be one of the most dangerous places for transgender students. By simply changing the gendered signs by the bathroom entrances, Pennridge can introduce more gender-neutral bathrooms like “more than 150 schools across the U.S.” already have, and minority students could feel safer and more comfortable.
Sources;
https://www.gendergp.com/transgender-bathrooms-discrimination-2022/
