Not all bathrooms are equal
For many years, the never-ending problem of people who fail to correctly address everyone by their preferred sexual identities, has become a never-ending challenge over the years between students and their advisors.
However, last month, State Senator Josh Newman introduced a new bill that could either make or break the state of California.
The bill, Senate Bill 760, would require all K-12 schools in California to provide students access to at least one gender-neutral bathroom on campus by January 1, 2025. If the bill is passed, it will be the first step toward transforming Californian schools into more inclusive environments for all students to thrive in.
Specifically, these bathrooms are sure to benefit those who identify as transgender, gender-fluid, non-binary or questioning.
According to survey data done by sd29.senate.ca.gov, due to the discomfort of using gender-segregated school bathrooms, up to 45% of LGBTQ+ students actively avoid using them. The denial of this basic human right could be extremely detrimental to these students’ overall wellbeing and could potentially even lead to health issues such as UTIs. This can easily become a problem since holding your urine for such a prolonged time causes bacteria to build up and later become a UTI. Moreover, the students are at risk for kidney disease and in a more rare scenario they are at a higher risk of a bursting bladder.
Before the introduction of the bill, schools failed to create a welcoming environment for some LGBTQ+ students by only having binary gendered bathrooms, isolating non-cisgender students.
In contrast, providing additional, gender-neutral bathrooms would provide comfort to those who are part of the transgender and non-binary community and have previously felt uneasy using a gendered restroom. These bathrooms would provide comfort to students because they feel more included and heard, after many years of ill treatment. Closeted students may also find it more comforting to be able to use a unisex bathroom to avoid any sort of dilemma.
While there will be both students and parents who find this new bill to be uncomfortable and unnecessary, these people have yet to feel the discomfort of being forced to use a bathroom of a gender that they do not identify with. It is inevitable that there could be students who would find sharing a gender-neutral bathroom awkward and strange.
However, what those people don’t understand is that the addition of unisex bathrooms does not translate to the removal of gendered bathrooms, just the inclusivity of all students. Students who find it uncomfortable sharing a unisex bathroom can simply choose to use a gendered bathroom.
To support those who have had this experience, it is essential to implement gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.
With the help of the new bill by Senator Newman, Diamond Bar High School will become a safer and more inclusive environment for students that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Every student of every gender identity is entitled to a good, easily accessible education with the dignity of a proper restroom.
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