Student group pushes for transgender bathrooms at University of Houston-Downtown

Kristopher Sharp, vice president of the University of Houston-Downtown Student Government Association, is hopeful the university will convert gender-segregated restrooms to gender-neutral. Kristopher Sharp, vice president of the University of Houston-Downtown Student Government Association, is hopeful the university will convert gender-segregated restrooms to gender-neutral. Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Student group pushes for transgender bathrooms at University of Houston-Downtown 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

When a transgender person is still in the transition process, using a public restroom can be uncomfortable or even unsafe, depending upon the mindset of others.

At the University of Houston-Downtown, a student leader says that potential for discomfort could ease if administrators accept a proposal about to be embraced by the Student Government Association.

That proposal calls for the university to select two existing restrooms in each main building and designate them as "gender-neutral," meaning they would be open to anyone, said Kristopher Sharp, Student Government Association vice president.

Meanwhile, university administrators say they have been working quietly for months to address the issue by building new, single-room restrooms that can be locked, similar to "family" restrooms in airports.

The first such private restroom is scheduled to open at the end of February in an area that is still under construction on the north end of campus, said John Hudson, director of the university's new Center for Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

"Others we hope would come on line later in the year," Hudson said. The administration's plan calls for a total of five private restrooms - one in each main building, one near the auditorium and one at the sports center, he said.

The student proposal, which is scheduled for a vote Jan. 10, has the advantage of being cheaper and quicker, since it requires only a new sign (and possibly instructions) on the door, Sharp said.

The proposal has the backing of all seven senators, said Sharp, who put forward the idea but is not eligible to vote for it because he's an officer.

"It is very rare that we all come together," he said.

Converting one men's restroom and one women's restroom in each of three buildings would make a total of six gender-neutral facilities out of more than 60 restrooms on campus, Sharp said.

"There will be many other restrooms that people can use," he said. "There is some misconception that we're changing them all."

Sharp, 24, a senior majoring in social work, said he had heard that the new construction would include a family restroom but was unaware it was scheduled to be ready next month.

"This is the first I've heard about it," said Sharp, who is also president of Safe Zone, the campus organization representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students.

Providing restrooms that everyone feels comfortable using is actually a health issue, Sharp said. Some students have refrained from using the restroom at all on campus, he said, rather than face someone telling them to get out.

A male-to-female transgender student who is living as a woman was twice confronted in the women's restroom and stopped using the campus facility, Sharp said. She has heard of other transgender people in similar situations who developed urinary tract infections and is worried it could happen to her, he said.

To its credit, Sharp said, the university is reviewing everything that can be done to help students feel accepted.

"We as an entire institution have been analyzing what we can do to make students feel safe," he said.