Restroom FAQs for AS&E

All-Gender Restrooms in AS&E
Frequently Asked Questions

Who can use an all-gender restroom?

Everyone!

Who can use a gendered restroom?

Will there be locks on the entrance door to the all-gender multi-stall restrooms?

No. Just like there is no lock on the entrance door to the gendered multi-stall restrooms, these will be unlocked. Each stall will have the same locking mechanism that it has currently (a metal turn knob).

Why are you using strips to cover the side stall gaps instead of putting in full doors with locks that say if the stall is occupied or vacant?

Putting in new doors would be considered a renovation. As such, it would be a very costly process that would need to be included in the capitol budget. Given the many priorities need to be addressed in the capital budget, this would severely delay the transition of any gendered restrooms to all-gender restrooms. When we update restrooms through the renovation process over the coming years, some will be transitioned to all-gender restrooms with updated doors and locks. 

I see you are transitioning some of the restrooms that have urinals in them because they were men’s restrooms. What will happen with those?

The signage will indicate that these are all-gender restrooms with urinals. There will be wall-attached mid-level barriers between urinals (some of these are installed in men’s restrooms around campus already). 

The single-stall restrooms are already all-gender. Isn’t that enough?

The single-stall restrooms were a great start! However, these restrooms are very difficult to access due to the high demand for them throughout the campus. There are many reasons for this including the following: some members of the Disability community need these restrooms, many trans and non-binary folks need these restrooms, many international community members prefer these because they are uncomfortable with the side stall gaps in the multi-stall restrooms (which is not common in many countries), and many other folks just like the privacy of a single-stall restroom. This results in folks who need these restrooms waiting for long periods of time to access them.

Is there a safety concern for people who use all-gender restrooms?

No. There is no statistical data indicating that all-gender restrooms are less safe than gendered restrooms. As with any restroom on campus, suspicious or threatening activity should be reported to Public Safety. Here is a link to information from the APA on this topic: https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/policy/issues/all-gender-restrooms

With this change, I will need to walk further to use a gendered restroom because I’m not comfortable using an all-gender restroom. That doesn’t seem fair.

We understand that this change may be difficult for some folks. We were very thoughtful in creating the list of restrooms to transition to ensure that there are gendered restrooms a reasonable distance away. Prior to this transition we had trans and non-binary community members who needed to walk to different buildings (sometimes several buildings away) to find a restroom to use. With this transition we are seeking a more equitable environment so that eventually no community member needs to travel an unreasonable distance to find a restroom to use.

This is a good start, but this still doesn’t seem equitable. I still have to walk really far to find an all-gender restroom.

This is just the first step. We will be rolling out more all-gender restrooms through renovations and the low-cost high-efficiency solution over time.

These are all in academic or student life buildings. What about residence halls?

There is currently a multi-stall all gender restroom on the 6th floor of the Susan B. Anthony Residence Hall. In Fall 2022, there will be additional multi-stall all-gender restrooms on first year halls.

Do I have to use an all-gender restroom?

No. If you do not want to use an all-gender restroom you may use one of the many gendered restrooms available on campus. During the roll-out we will have signage near the transitioned restrooms directing community members to the nearest gendered restroom. For example, if a women’s restroom was transitioned to an all-gender restroom, the sign will direct community members to the nearest women’s restroom.

Where can I find a list of the current all-gender restrooms on campus?

A list can be found here.

Which restrooms will be renovated in July 2022? 

I still have questions. Who do I ask?

Please email our Director LGBTQ Life, Col Raimond, at col.raimond@rochester.edu.