New communal, all gender washrooms could soon be opening at the University of Ottawa.
Staff in the University's social sciences department are seeking permission to turn two segregated washrooms on the 11th floor into shared, multi-stall spaces.
"It helps people with a disability who might have an accessibility aid of a different gender; it helps parents with kids who want to go into a multi-stall bathroom; we also hope it helps transgender and gender non-confirming folks," said Kathryn Trevenen, the interim director of the school's Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies.
Trevenen said students brought the idea of a shared washroom to one of the professors in the hopes of reducing stress and harrassment on transgender and non-binary students.
"If I really have to pee, I don't have to think about it. I don't have to bring a friend for safety and comfort," she said. "I want that for all our students."
Once the city signs off, the two washrooms will get full partitions as well as new door signs that indicate how many urinals, sinks and toilets are inside.
"We don't want all bathrooms to be all gender neutral. We are happy some will remain gender segregated," Trevenen said. "We want to give people more options."
City Councillor Catherine McKenney, who was brought on board to help staff explain building code, said there is no reason this initiative can't be expanded to city buildings.
"It's the fair thing to do," McKenney said.
Building code requires all new builds have an equal 50/50 ratio of men's to women's washroom. McKenney admits these gender neutral washroom fall into a grey zone, but said they should be allowed.
"My interpretation of that is that if it's all gender, than it is 50/50," McKenney said.
Universal washrooms and change rooms have already been installed at multiple institutions in Ottawa, including the Plant Recreation Complex, Carleton University, the Good Companions Senior's Centre on Albert and several Ottawa schools.
