As schools across Canada push to introduce gender-neutral washrooms Fanshawe will be joining them too.
Fanshawe already has washrooms which are open to anyone regardless of sexual orientation, under the symbol of wheelchair, these washrooms can be found across the campus. Though these washrooms are not the same as a true gender neutral washroom, it is a small step in the right direction.
Fanshawe student president Carlie Forsythe said Fanshawe is all about introducing gender-neutral washrooms, but at the current moment there are no space for them.
“Fanshawe would love to introduce gender-neutral washrooms, unfortunately right now it’s not the time with the way the current time tables are set-up, it will be something that will happen in the distant future.”
One of the many debates that took place this summer in regard to introducing gender-neutral washrooms was a question of safety and if it was really safe for people of all different genders to mix in one washroom. But that concern does not exist at Fanshawe, student president Carlie Forsythe thinks things will run just smoothly once they are introduced.
“I can’t see really any issues with introducing gender-neutral washrooms at the college level, I’ve been following the news all year and it’s not like anyone is going to get raped, that just wont happen. What’s going to happen with these washrooms is that it will be completely normal”
Gender identity can be a confusing for some people. Not misgendering themselves is vital to ensuring that they are true to themselves. Only having the option of male or female can sometimes be confusing if one does not identify as either. Fanshawe would take away this problem for some of its students who are dealing with gender identity issues or who do not assign themselves a gender when having to choose which washroom to use.
Fanshawe is committed to making progress when it comes to ensuring all of it’s students feel comfortable in their campus, with many outreach programs available on campus to help anyone who are struggling with any issues. Carlie says Fanshawe is very inclusive to everyone.
“For the most part Fanshawe is a very safe and inclusive place for students, we do many things here at Fanshawe to push the idea of gender neutrality and just acceptance in general.”
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