The majority of students use the washrooms on campus without a second thought. However, issues of safety and accessibility affect a number of people who face a variety of challenges within these spaces. For some queers, the lack of gender-neutral spaces can lead to situations in which they may feel intimidated or uncomfortable in using a necessary facility like the bathroom.
Students with (dis)Abilities may have difficulty with things as simple as gaining entry. Lack of change tables can cause unneeded stress on parents and, for some women, broken tampon dispensers can lead to a messy situation.
With the goal of creating safer and more accessible bathrooms on campus, the Camosun College Student Society Pride Collective, Students with d(is)Abilities Collective, and Women’s Collective are collaborating on a project to address some of the issues raised.
We will be visiting all the bathrooms on both campuses with a survey in order to determine the problems and recommend solutions to them. In the meantime, we should all consider our roles in creating safer spaces on campus.
As individuals, we have the ability to contribute to the safety and inclusion of others within common spaces. Some of the things we can do are recognizing our privilege, if we do have it, in navigating these environments, and doing what we can to make others feel comfortable and welcome.
For one, don’t take it upon yourself to be the bathroom gender police because, let’s face it, some of us just want to pee.