Man or Woman? Who cares?!: A summary of “Making Bathrooms More Accommodating”

An image of the "idea" of unisex bathrooms

An image of the “idea” of unisex bathrooms

“Making Bathrooms More Accommodating” was written by Emily Bazelon, where she raises awareness on to the gender discrimination against bathrooms. The the author suggests that bathrooms are “the clearest visual markers of sex difference” and not many people are open the collision of male and female bathrooms. The author references a law proposed in Houston that ruled out discrimination of any kind at any place. The opposing side of the law on the idea of men and women sharing restroom space and played on the fears of voters by promoting assault against women.

Transgenders are accepted within the school districts, but they still struggle with deciding where to get undressed or use the restroom. The article talks about the experience of a high school transgender girl not being allowed to shower in the girls’ locker room and later receiving a stall with a curtain This event supports the idea of “accommodation” that the author feels presents itself as relevant when talking about accessing bathrooms. The author states that this a confusing concept to the public, because it is not the norm.

Gender based segregated restrooms began in the 19th century once men felt that women were taking over their space. This concept became a social norm that people were afraid to change. The author suggests an “all-gender” restrooms to accommodate this issue and that it has the potential to be what is considered “normal”. The overall purpose for accommodating restrooms is so that a person of any gender can feel like they “belong”.

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