Gender-Neutral Facilities

Pip Dillistone submitted on

Wednesday 13th January 2016

Complete

Hi,

if I might ask, what steps is the Union taking to work with the university towards creating dedicated gender-neutral facilities, such as toilets? Like many non binary people, the lack of facilites specific to my gender identity is a source of discomfort. Sorry if this is a question that has been answered: the SUSU website has no funciton for me to search previously asked questions.

Best Wishes!

Answers

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Anonymous submitted on

Thursday 14th January 2016

Complete

Hi Pip,

The Students’ Union at present has two gender neutral toilets – the accessible toilet on Level 4 outside the second doors to The Bridge, and a gender neutral toilet on Level 2 down the corridor from the Sabb Office labelled ‘Staff’, which has been agreed that anyone seeking out a gender neutral toilet in the union is welcome to use it.

I believe the University has agreed to have at least one gender-neutral toilet in every new building they plan, however in existing buildings they are constrained in creating new gender-neutral bathrooms by space and plumbing.

As someone who is non-binary it can be a pain not to have a convenient gender-neutral toilet nearby, but I have found that the existing accessible toilets and even gendered toilets around campus have never made me feel unsafe.

This is something I would like to follow up on this term, part of which will hopefully involve creating a map of gender-neutral toilets around campus.

Please feel free to contact me with any further questions.

All the best,

Caitlin Doyle

Equality and Diversity Officer

Question for: Equality & Diversity Officer