Gender neutral bathrooms have always been a really touchy subject, especially in recent years. Already though, schools in Kansas have installed gender-neutral bathrooms. Such as Kansas City and Wichita East have done so. In 2009, a poll was put out for transgender people and how they feel about gendered bathrooms. 68% of those respondents say they have been harassed in gendered bathrooms, saying they don’t “belong.” 

I personally am non-binary and I would actually like to have a gender neutral bathroom at Salina South. For those who don’t know what non-binary is while reading this, non-binary is regardless of their biological sex or clothing they don’t feel tied to a specific gender. I don’t feel comfortable going into gendered bathrooms, but most people who are transgender or non-binary have to deal with it. Junior Francisco Guardado thinks the should be gender neutral bathrooms and that there should be a comfortable environment at the safest rate possible. Although, Guardado did express a concern that some people might use it to their advantage and that it could be an unsafe environment for those intending to use it.  

Also, sophomore Leo Strowig believes there should be gender-neutral bathrooms. Strowig believes that people would be more comfortable if trans, or non-binary to go to those bathrooms. Strowig also mentions a school transgender policy, and how the school or district asks your parents if they are okay with you using your preferred pronouns, or the bathroom you want. Although Strowig does think that the policy should be changed because he personally feels uncomfortable to go to the female bathroom, when Strowig identifies as male.

Yet gender neutral bathrooms would still be beneficial in our school. The percentage of transgender Americans who avoid public bathrooms just for being harassed, is 60%. If we implement gender neutral bathrooms in the school, and even the whole district we might be able to lower that percentage.