Welcome back. In this series of videos, we want to explore some current issues and LGBTQ Plus inclusion. We'll describe the issue and present a queer perspective on the topic. That presentation will include both thinking about the issue itself and in identifying possible solutions. We hope that these videos can model a queer approach to cultural issues. Our hope is that they will help you as you engage in conversations about contemporary LGBTQ Plus issues in your specific context. The first issue we'll discuss is the controversy surrounding public restrooms and locker rooms. In most places in the world, public restrooms and locker rooms are gender segregated. This means that they are separated into women's facilities and men's facilities. This can create a problem for transgender and non-binary people because both women's and men's facilities might feel scary or unsafe. Some transgender people, might choose to use the restroom that most closely aligns with their gender identity. Some might decide which restroom to use based on their gender presentation or how others perceive their gender. Some might choose to avoid public restrooms and locker rooms altogether. In fact, a lot of transgender people choose this last option because it feels less dangerous or stressful. Several organizations and government agencies have updated their policies or laws to help make sure transgender and non-binary people can access public toilets and locker rooms. In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA, published new guidance in 2015 to ensure all employees have access to appropriate restroom facilities in the workplace. OSHA's 2015 guidance states that employees have a right to access the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. Many states, provinces, and countries take a similar position in their policies and laws. These policies and laws often protect transgender people from harassment or violence in public facilities. They also affirm that a person should be able to choose a restaurant based on their internal sense of their gender, not on how their gender is perceived by others. The International Code Council or ICC is an association whose members develop building codes used in the construction of residential and commercial buildings including homes and schools. In 2018, the ICC updated its signage requirements for single stall restaurants. The new codes require these restaurants to be usable by people of all genders. Many employers, schools, local and national organizations, and government agencies has struggled with the question of how to best accommodate transgender and non-binary people who need to use restrooms or locker rooms. Responses can be clustered into three general strategies. The first strategy is to require transgender folks to use the restroom that corresponds with the sex they were assigned at birth. In the US state of North Carolina, for example, state legislators passed a law requiring transgender people to use the restroom that corresponds to the sex listed on their birth certificate. This law requires transgender men to use women's restrooms and transgender women to use men's restrooms. The argument for the strategy usually rests on an assumption that people with penises might prey upon or endanger women and girls if they're permitted to access women's restrooms. In order to protect women and girls then, legislators argued that people with penises should be required to use men's restrooms and people with vaginas should be required to use women's restrooms. Here's some problems with this approach. First, it's based on faulty logic. There's no evidence that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity leads to an increase in sexual assault or predatory behavior. Second, laws like this could lead to really confusing bathroom interactions. A recent social media campaign hashtag we just need to pee, invited transgender people to post photos of themselves in the restroom they would be required to use in places like North Carolina. The resulting photos highlighted an important point. People have expectations for the way the people they're sharing a restaurant with should look. Although it doesn't really matter whether a person has a vagina or a penis, for many people it does feel important that the people sharing their restroom match their expectations. Most importantly, this approach fails to meet an important aspect of the OSHA and International Building Code guidelines. It fails to allow transgender people access to a restroom that corresponds to their gender identity. Because of these problems this solution is the least effective. The second strategy for addressing this issue is to create multi-stall all gender restrooms. Some organizations have begun to embrace this strategy and have installed multi-stall all gender restrooms in their buildings. These restrooms typically have bathroom stalls that go from floor to ceiling and they usually offer both toilets and urinals. One example is a multi-stall restroom on the campus of the University of Colorado Boulder. This facility includes floor to ceiling stalls with a common sink area in the center of the restroom. The advantage of this solution is that people of all genders have access to safe and appropriate restroom with the facilities they need. There are two disadvantages to this solution. One is the cost, restrooms like this one can be extremely expensive to build because they require almost complete renovation. Also, this type of restroom can lead to exclusion of another kind. Some religious traditions prohibit mixed-gender interactions in many private spaces including restrooms. People from some faith communities may not be able to use a mixed-gender restroom and would need additional accommodations to avoid its exclusion. A third strategy is to build or change the signage for single stall restrooms to ensure they're gender inclusive. Many buildings either already have one or more single-user restrooms or can build one at fairly low cost. It's very inexpensive to update restroom signs to indicate that the restroom is open to people of all genders. This approach to the bathroom issue was favored by many people because it's not cost-prohibitive and it results in a safe and accessible restroom option for transgender and non-binary people. The main problem with this strategy is that it segregates transgender people. Although some transgender people prefer to use single stall restrooms, many other transgender people want the option to use the multi-stall restaurants that are available to non-transgender people. We believe the most effective strategy for addressing this issue involves a combination of strategies two and three along with education efforts. It's important to emphasize that providing transgender people with safe and appropriate access to restrooms that align with their gender identity doesn't lead to any increased risk to non-transgender people who use those restrooms. The perception that transgender people are threats does, however, lead to an increased risk to transgender people. Many transgender folks have experienced harassment or assault in public restrooms. Steps taken to make restaurants more inclusive need to also include efforts to protect transgender people from the possibility of backlash against them. In the next videos, we'll explore other contemporary LGBTQ Plus issues like the one we've discussed in this video. The issues we've chosen, do not cover all relevant or controversial issues but we hope they'll help you to better understand and engage with issues and tensions about supporting queer and transgender people. See you soon.
