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Posts tagged as “gender”

(Archive February 2019) All-Gender Restrooms All Gone?

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Sophia Schlegelmilch | Assistant Editor

The All Gender Restroom signs as they used to appear around campus (left) and one of the Faculty Restroom signs that have replaced them (right).
Photos by Thomas Hill Jr.

Students and administrators are searching for alternatives due to a conflict with plumbing codes which required the all-gender bathrooms on the Gardner campus to be reassigned as single-gender faculty bathrooms. 

According to Dean of Students Jason Zelesky, the school was informed that the bathrooms were not compliant with State Plumbing Code about two weeks ago, after an inspection related to other construction efforts. The school was ordered to make the changes immediately, said Zelesky, in order to avoid penalties, which could potentially include loss of the school’s occupancy permit or closure of the building.  read more

(Archive February 2018) Students Support Gender Inclusive Restrooms on Campus

By editorialteam on February 4, 2025

By Ashley McHugh | Observer Contributor

A sign designating one of the new All Genger Restrooms.
Photo by Thomas Hill Jr.

Gender neutral bathrooms are popping up on campuses across the country, including here at Mount Wachusett Community College. The move for the gender neutral bathrooms on campus began last year with the transgender population petitioning for the change. 

According to The New York Times, the movement initially began in 2013 when a transgender athlete in Illinois pushed for her right to gender inclusive bathrooms. Last fall, the Department of Education’s Civil Rights sector ruled in favor of the student’s need for gender inclusive bathrooms. It was arranged for the student to use the locker room and the school would install private changing areas. Some in the community denounced the decision while others joined the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which represented the girl, in declaring a victory for civil rights.  read more

Beyond He and She

By editorialteam on October 18, 2023

Accommodating Gender Pronoun Inclusivity and the Rising Enrollment of Trans and Nonbinary Students in Higher Education

By Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief

Across the United States, high school and college students are increasingly identifying as transgender or nonbinary, with studies revealing that approximately 2% of high school students and nearly 6% of college students fall somewhere within these identities. About 3% of students specify using pronouns that challenge the traditional binary perspective, like the singular “they/them” and “neopronouns”—a category of new pronouns such as “xe/xem” and “ze/zir” that are used in place of conventional identifiers. This increasing diversity in gender identity among students raises the question of how colleges and universities can effectively accommodate and promote inclusivity for individuals in these communities. read more