The start of a new semester at Chico State often brings changes, and the fall 2024 semester is no exception. Over the summer, the school has been building new gender-inclusive restrooms on campus.
“Five new gender-neutral restrooms opened at the start of semester; two in SSC, one in Tehama and two in Yolo. One more in Tehama is still under renovations, but should be open within a couple weeks,” stated Chico State Public Relations Manager Andrew Staples in an email.
These gender-inclusive restrooms, sometimes referred to as gender-neutral restrooms or all-gender restrooms, are an addition on campus that allows everyone to use them, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
“They were added because the University is committed to providing a welcoming learning and working environment for everyone,” Staples said.
As for the future of them on campus, Staples stated that more plans will be determined at a future date, saying the school is “always evaluating how it can create an inclusive and respectful campus environment.”
These restrooms seemed like an inclusion with good intentions, but people’s thoughts on campus matter too.
Alumni Carin Dorghalli explained there was construction for one gender-inclusive restroom in the Bell Memorial Union when she attended Chico State from 2012 to 2016. Dorghalli graduated from Chico State in 2016, but is back on campus as a new professor in the Media Arts department.
“I may not know myself what it’s like to use a restroom and feel unsafe, but I need to acknowledge and care about the fact that there are students and people in general who feel like noninclusive restrooms are not a safe environment for them. That matters. These restrooms need to be on campus to serve the students that need them,” Dorghalli said.
Dorghalli finds that it is important as a university to show that you care about your students’ well-being and consistently meet their needs.
Mason Gundry, a freshman, is taking a class in Ayres Hall, a building on campus that has one of these gender-inclusive restrooms.
Gundry explained that he finds them to bea good inclusion, though they did not feel like a necessity. While he is in favor of these restrooms and the inclusivity they bring, this is simply not a hot-button issue to Gundry.
Opinions on this topic vary nationwide. California, specifically, appears to be largely in favor of gender-inclusive restrooms.
In 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom and the California State Senate approved Bill No. 760, which requires K-12 public schools to include all-gender restrooms. The bill asserts that students of all gender identities should have accessible restrooms, and this would give them higher chances to succeed.
More information on gender-inclusive restrooms on the Chico State Campus can be found at the online Chico State campus map.
Dominic Curcuro can be reached at [email protected].
To read the article in Spanish, go here.
