Transgender students at Syracuse University may no longer feel unwelcome in on-campus restrooms labeled strictly for males or females.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center and students in the Boundaries in Syracuse class are trying to change this feeling of exclusion for transgender people by creating the Single-Stall Bathroom Directory, a complete listing of all buildings that contain single-stall bathrooms.

The directory will let students to know where they can access single-stall bathrooms instead of feeling uncomfortable in bathrooms with multiple stalls where they run the risk of other students harassing them for being in the ‘wrong’ restroom, said Amit Taneja, assistant director of the LGBT Resource Center.

A few transgender students at SU have made complaints about the harassment they receive when using the restroom facilities, Taneja said.

The problem of transgender people feeling unwelcome in restrooms designated for members of the strict female or male category is not only a problem at SU, but also a national problem, Taneja said.

The Boundaries in Syracuse class, a course offered by SU, is completing a project in which they are ‘creating a list of how restrooms are labeled,’ so students will know prior to arriving at the facility if they may feel comfortable using the restroom, he said.

These students are conducting an online survey of the single-stall bathrooms that ask students questions including, ‘Does the lock function properly?’, ‘Is there a urinal?’, ‘Is there any hateful or offensive language on bathroom surfaces?’ and how the restroom is labeled – all of which help the class create the directory.

‘The directory is a good idea because people should not feel nervous about going to the bathroom,’ said Sarabeth Schoeneck, an undeclared sophomore in the College of Human Services and Health Professions.

SU claims to be ‘no place for hate, and people being discriminated against in the restrooms is a form of hate,’ she said.

Schoeneck said her residence floor in Walnut Hall has a coed restroom where all genders are welcome. She also said all dorms should have coed bathrooms so that everyone can feel comfortable using the facilities in dorm housing.

Travis Webb, a sophomore broadcast journalism major, said he does not believe going to the bathroom should be such a hassle, and he agrees that change should take place if people don’t feel comfortable using the restrooms that are labeled for specific genders.

‘I wouldn’t mind seeing the single-stall bathrooms in Brewster/Boland being changed to restrooms for all genders,’ said Webb, who is a Brewster resident.

Taneja said there have been discussions about the topic of having single-stall bathrooms being changed to having all sexes allowed.

Taneja said he hopes to see the directory completed by the spring 2006 semester so that transgender students at SU feel comfortable during their everyday activities without having to plan a schedule around certain restrooms on campus.

Published on November 28, 2005 at 12:00 pm