Oxford students refuse to make their lavatories gender-neutral
AN OXFORD University college has refused to introduce gender-neutral lavatories over fears they will make women feel awkward.
Students at Somerville College last week voted down a motion to make college lavatories unisex, with some voicing concerns that it could result in more cases of female “harassment”.
Others suggested that both male and female students would feel ill at ease having to share a lavatory with the opposite sex, and that some may have had “uncomfortable encounters” with the “other gender”.
The decision came after the college’s LGBTQ officer, Eilidh Wilson, proposed changing “male” and “female” lavatory signs with “gender-neutral toilet” and “gender-neutral toilet with urinals” at a Junior Common Room (JCR) meeting.
Ms Wilson added that Somerville should recognise “non-binary people” by introducing unisex lavatories in the college bar, dining hall and the Vaughan building.
The proposal followed a number of policy changes at Oxford in recent months, which included the decision by a number of colleges to introduce gender-neutral lavatories.
Oxford’s student union has also taken steps to make the university more “trans-friendly”, urging students to use gender-neutral pronouns such as a “ze” to prevent transgender students feeling discriminated against.
However, students at Somerville have resisted the calls for change, with some challenging the proposal on the grounds that it was motivated out of “principle” rather than “practicality”. In minutes seen by The Daily Telegraph, one student at the meeting claimed that introducing gender-neutral lavatories would be “overlooking the practicalities, just for the point that we want to make non-binary people feel more accepted”.
“There will be a lot of girls that feel uncomfortable with men being able to come into the toilet,” they added.
Another student said that they feared that introducing gender-neutral lavatories would lead to more cases of women being harassed.
‘There will be a lot of girls that feel uncomfortable with men being able to come into the toilet’
Their concerns come on the back of an alarming spike in “harassing and intimidating behaviour” towards female students at the college in 2015.
The spike in incidents prompted Alice Prochaska, the college principal, to issue warnings to students about reported groping at parties, sexual innuendo and jokes made about rape.
Several students said they were concerned about a public vote, amid fears that those who voted against it would be seen as “transphobic”.
The request for a public ballot was overruled and the motion was narrowly defeated by 31 votes to 29.
Somerville’s decision to reject gender-neutral lavatories is believed to be the first instance where students have voted down calls for more “inclusive” policies.