All-gender restrooms: No thanks
December 11, 2015
Regarding the front page opinion piece “All-gender restrooms: Why not?” by Duane Soubirous in the Nov. 16 issue of La Voz:
It was not surprising to me that this article was written by a male student. I was particularly struck by the phrase “I enjoyed the ability to hold a conversation with my female friends as we flossed, peed and showered.” Of that I have no doubt. But I suspect at least some of those female friends might not have shared in that enjoyment.
As for “why not,” I would start by emphasizing that we are a diverse community at De Anza, and some of our students come from cultures where females would almost certainly simply refuse to use such gender neutral restrooms. Converting the De Anza campus to all-gender bathrooms is an idea whose time most definitely has not come, and it is culturally insensitive to boot.
