Monday, April 5, 2010
The routine task of choosing a restroom couldn’t have been more difficult for Matthew Blankers, a senior from Claremont, Calif. He says he was born in a woman’s body, but as a masculine woman who was often mistaken for a boy. Even before he knew it was possible to be transgender, Blankers noticed that he acted, dressed, and talked, in a way that was more masculine than feminine. Sometimes others would be alarmed when he would walk into a women’s restroom — the one supposedly for him.
“It’s always been something that’s created a lot of tension,” Blankers said. “It felt really terrible. I was socialized female, and here I was, scaring other females.”
Three years of testosterone therapy and one chest-flattening surgery later, Blankers is able to choose the men’s restroom option, though he still finds opening that door difficult. This time, he’s not worried about offending others — he’s fearful of being harmed if someone realizes that he’s a trans-male.
“I still feel frightened this time, but now for myself,” Blankers said. “I worry if someone recognizes me or knows I’m trans, it could be really, really dangerous.”
Blankers is part of a small group of students conducting a survey of the bathrooms on campus, searching for gender-neutral bathrooms. Blankers ultimately hopes the University will have at least one gender-neutral, fully handicap-accessible bathroom in each campus building. Gender-neutral bathrooms don’t have any signs that encourage solely male or female users, but display themselves as neutral or gender-free bathrooms. These restrooms have signs that only say “Bathroom,” or are often displayed as “family bathrooms.”
Pride Week Events
Today:
Live Queer Acts:
The Kiss-In
WHEN: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
WHERE: Lawn of Stauffer-Flint Hall
Tuesday:
“Sexy Time” Safe-sex and Healthy Relationships Workshop
WHEN: 2-4 p.m
WHERE: Big 12 Room of the Kansas Union
Poet Staceyann Chin
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Hashinger Hall Theatre,
Wednesday:
Vogue Evolution (from America’s Best Dance Crew),
WHEN: 7 p.m- 9 p.m.
WHERE: Kansas Union Ballroom
Pride Prom
WHEN: 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
WHERE: Wilde’s Chateau 24, 2412 Iowa St.
Thursday:
Lecture by Gilbert Baker, creator of the rainbow flag
WHEN: 7-9 p.m.
WHERE: Alderson Auditorium
Friday:
Brown Bag Drag
WHEN: 12-1 p.m.
WHERE: In front of the Kansas Union
Saturday:
Pride Parade
WHEN: 10:45 a.m.
WHERE: Parade begins at South Park
Blankers found four gender-neutral bathrooms. He’s currently searching for more, and hopes to make a map of all on-campus gender-neutral bathrooms in Twente Hall.
“Every single time I ever have to go to the bathroom, it’s something I think about,” Blankers said. “It’s important for people who aren’t readily perceived as male or female.”
As part of an effort to reach out to the transgendered community, Queers and Allies will be providing only gender-neutral bathrooms at all of its events during this year’s Pride Week, which begins today.
Sara Thompson, executive director of KU Queers and Allies, said that at each events, members of Q&A will place signs outside of the restrooms that advertise them as gender-free. She said they won’t cover up the already existing ‘male’ or ‘female’ bathroom signs, but will acknowledge the fact that anyone who feels comfortable in either is allowed to use either.
In order to be allowed to convert the Union restrooms into gender-neutral restrooms, Q&A had to receive permission from the Kansas Memorial Unions staff. Rachel Gadd-Nelson, educational outreach coordinator of Q&A, said the union staff understood the educational importance of gender-neutral restrooms.
Thompson said the importance of gender-neutral bathrooms extends beyond Pride Week.
“It’s a really big issue for transgendered folk or gender-neutral folk,” said Thompson, a senior from Salina. “It makes society uncomfortable. But people are people — everyone deserves respect. We want everyone to feel comfortable.”
The bathroom de-classification is meant to be as much of an educational tool as it is to offer a practical solution, Rachel Gadd-Nelson, a junior from Kansas City, Kan. said.
“People who are going into the bathrooms at our events know what bathroom they’re going into, and they’re letting people know,” she said. “It’s giving them something to think about.”
— Edited by Ashley Montgomery
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Comments
Pride Week events demonstrate need for gender-neutral bathrooms
This is true. There is much less scrutiny in the men's room than there is in the women's room. Before I decided to transition, it seemed to be a much bigger problem than it is now, which seems crazy since I was in the 'right' bathroom for my physical sex. I would absolutely argue that transgender women (people who were assigned 'male' at birth) have a much harder time accessing basic resources like restrooms.
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