In the spirit of inclusivity, this elementary school created gender-neutral bathrooms
Miraloma Elementary School in San Francisco has about 8 students who have informed the school that they are either transgender or don’t identify with traditional gender norms. To accommodate these students, the school has decided to introduce gender-neutral bathrooms. The one-stall bathrooms used by kindergartners and first graders are now officially gender neutral and, as People reports, the school plans to introduce gender-neutral bathrooms for the second and third grade classrooms in the near future. Up through third grade, bathrooms reside within the classrooms, making it easier to transform them into gender-neutral facilities. That said, the school is committed to finding a way to make gender-neutral bathrooms also available for its fourth and fifth graders.
This move to gender-neutral facilities was made after the parents of trans and gender-non-conforming kids approached the school and explained that being forced to make a decision re: which gender bathroom to use made their children uncomfortable. So far, it sounds like the transition couldn’t be going more smoothly.
“There are absolutely parents with questions, move about the logistics than anything else. I haven’t heard a single parent say they didn’t like this or thought it was unnecessary,” PTA president Ellen Schatz explained to ABC7 News.
It’s a relief to hear that accommodating trans and gender non-conforming students has not resulted in any backlash, especially considering the hostility that trans Missouri high schooler Lila Perry faced when she and over one hundred of her fellow students protested her school’s decision to let Lila use the girls’ locker room to change for P.E. classes. Miraloma’s decision been met with acceptance and support, which gives Schatz hope that other schools will follow in Miraloma’s suit and ensure that, regardless of where students fall on the gender spectrum, they are comfortable using their school bathrooms.
“You want to make sure every kid feels safe and secure and happy,” Shatz told Joe Fryer on TODAY Friday. “So I would hope this is the wave of the future.”
Related:
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Image via Twitter
