Trustees from the Central Okanagan School District heard from many people on the subject of gender-neutral bathrooms last week before their vote on the issue – but one voice stood out.

Eleven-year-old Tor Broughton spoke at the meeting about her own experience with gender-specific bathrooms.

Broughton, who considers herself gender queer, told the trustees how awkward it's been for her to try and use the usual gender-specific bathrooms found at schools.

“If I was washing my hands, a lot of girls would walk in and look really confused and think they were in the boys washroom, and a lot of women in actual big public washrooms will confront me and tell me I'm a boy and that I'm in the wrong washroom,” Broughton said in an interview Tuesday.

Broughton says gender-neutral bathrooms in Central Okanagan schools will make people more comfortable without taking anything away from anyone.

“It's not doing anything harmful, it's just making a lot of people feel better about themselves,” she said.

After the vote, School District 23 chairwoman Moyra Baxter said most area schools already have single-occupancy bathrooms and in many cases only a sign would have to be changed.