People with waaaaaay too much time on their hands.....

[Brent]

U. of C. activists want bathrooms without gender

November 26, 2003
BY LUCIO GUERRERO Staff Reporter

Transgender, gay and feminist groups at the University of Chicago are asking officials to consider creating more gender-neutral bathrooms, saying some people aren't comfortable selecting a gender-specific facility.

"Persons who are not easily legible as male or female often experience various forms of intimidation in these places. If a woman in a women's-only restroom is assumed to be a man, there may be real threats to her comfort and even safety," warns the Coalition for a Queer Safe Campus, a student group comprised of various organizations supporting equality on campus. "Students have faced gay-baiting comments in our university's sex-segregated bathrooms."

So they're saying that WOMEN might be VIOLENT towards such a person? Goodness gracious, what a dreadful idea! How could such a thing be???? We all know that women are NEVER violent!!

I also notice they're only concerned about women, not a care in the world about what might happen to a man if he was "perceived" to be a woman in a men's bathroom.


The issue is especially of concern to transgenders who attend the university. The coalition said they know of students who don't use the bathrooms at school to avoid any controversy.

Just how many transgenders ARE there wandering around the university? 5? 50? 1,000? I mean, really...is this a serious problem that rears its head every day, or what?


Members of the Feminist Majority, Queers & Associates and the Center for Gender Studies held a panel at the university last week to discuss the issue. Moon Duchin, a graduate student at U. of C. and an adviser to the Queer Safe Campus bathroom initiative, said there is a misperception on campus from some students about the gender-neutral bathrooms.

She said after the panel convened and word spread about the topic, some students posted negative comments on Web sites about the movement.

That's because "Moon" is a stupid, f*ckin' name, and no one will take you seriously if you're named "Moon". I mean really. Give me a break. So there were some negative comments, it's a big ol' world with lots of different people in it., Some of them are bound to be uptight about this kind of thing. Get used to it- it's going to happen.

"This is a hot-button issue with some people who think that we are trying to do away with conventional bathrooms," Duchin said. "But that's not the case. We are trying to create more choices for people."

In the short term, the group wants to change existing bathrooms on one floor of the Joseph Regenstein Library and one floor of Cobb Hall, a popular student hangout. In the future, the group would like the university to consider gender-neutral bathrooms to be included in the plans for new buildings.

"Access to public, single-occupancy bathrooms would be ideal for undercutting this source of intimidation, but converting existing multi-stall bathrooms to gender neutrality is an excellent, and easy, intermediate step," the group writes on its Web site.

University officials said they are willing to look at the buildings to see if more bathrooms can be added.

University officials said they would immediately cave in to this ridiculous special-interest group, no matter how dumb an idea they come up with.


"They have done a great job of raising community awareness of the issue," said Bill Michel, associate dean of the college. "We are in the process of evaluating these two buildings to see if would be possible to create more bathrooms."

Michel said the university already has nine gender-neutral bathrooms but none in the two most popular buildings.

But it is more than just a gay and transgender issue, for some feminists the issue of gender specific bathrooms has been a problem for years.

Oh yeah, years and years. I can't tell you how many years I've worried over this terrible inequity. Something has to be done, and I mean right now!!! (stamping my little feet)


"Some feminists might say that any sex segregation is problematic," said Mary Anne Case, a professor of law at the University of Chicago who has studied the early roots of feminism and the inequality in sex segregated bathrooms.

And some people might say Ann Case is a blithering idiot living in her ivory tower, out of touch with the realities of everyday life. But not me.


Case said that along with creating more bathroom space for women -- a typical problem in public facilities -- the gender-neutral bathroom would also give men and women less reasons to separate in social functions.

Hell yes, lets all go to the bathroom together. Then men can be accused of all sorts of "crimes" because they're in the same bathroom as a -gasp- woman.

[kiddosmom]

gender-neutral bathrooms are supose to be for parents with children.
say a little girl is out with daddy, but does not want to go in the mens bathroom, but daddy does not want little girl to go alone in the restroom,, or little boys that do not want to go in the lady's bathroom, but do not want them to go in alone.

I actually like the idea.

[StPaulieGirl]

Case said that along with creating more bathroom space for women -- a typical problem in public facilities -- the gender-neutral bathroom would also give men and women less reasons to separate in social functions.

[p]Yipeeee for more social engineering!

[p]It's not our fault that people choose to become human experiments.  Hell, if I have to go to the bathroom, I really don't care if the person in front of me is "transgender".  Trust me, if I use a public restroom, PC is the last thing on my mind.  Besides.....we have doors on our stalls :)

[p]We're all going to hell.  When God finally gets pissed off enough, Pompeii is going to look like an old fashioned firework display....

[p]Kiddosmom-I took my son into the ladies room until he started school.  No one complained.  there is just no way I would let a kid that little go into a public restroom by him/herself.

[p]Here's something for guys out shopping with their little girls.  If the child has to go potty all of a sudden, find a "female sales associate" to escort her into the women's bathroom.  Just because they "go" before they leave the house, doesn't mean they won't want to go again the minute you hit Circuit City.....

As always, my own personal views....not SPARC's

[kiddosmom]

I had no problem taking my son to the ladies room either, at least till he got to school age and thought it was not right for him to go in with the GIRLS (LOL) I of course made him go anyway.
Even at 9- 10 yrs i was uncomfotable letting my son go in the mens room, especially after a 9 yr old little girl was raped in a wal-mart bathroom.
but what dad is going to want to take his 9- 10 yr old child is going to make her go in the mens bathroom?
Socially acceptable or not the combined restrooms are a good idea for parents.

[Peanutsdad]

LOL,,

Actually, I ran into a bit of a problem while out shopping with my 20 month old daughter. I HAD to use the restroom. Was'nt my daughter, and walmart was packed, so there was no way I was leaving my child outside the restroom to wait while I fulfilled that desperate need to urinate.

What did I do? I tied a knot in it and gritted my teeth until I got home LOL LOL.

[Indigo Mom]

If they're so uncomfortable about choosing a bathroom, they can do like me...and not use them.  I flat out REFUSE to use a public bathroom.  

Pee before you leave...and the problem is no longer a problem.  

I can't frigging BELIEVE we need another "choice" in bathrooms.  Don't we have enough choices just down the damned dog food aisle???