Untangling Bathrooms From Their Policy

Abstract

Bathrooms are a foundational human need and yet many trans, nonbinary, gender expansive, and gender nonconforming (TGNB) students experience challenges when accessing them throughout higher education settings. Bathrooms are a unique space where gender is performed and scrutinized. This performance can often lead to stress for TGNB community members. Bathroom access is only made more complex based on the geography of where the student attends college and the local intersection of institutional and public policy. This chapter explores three different universities and the complex web of local public policy and institutional policy that impacts bathroom access for students and the entire university community. This chapter explores both the importance of bathrooms and what they mean for TGNB community members and the policy side of the issue offers a greater landscape for change. Change is crucial to support TGNB community members' sense of belonging and their success within the institution either as students or as employees.