University of Hawaii students will begin the school year with new facilities.

Nine all-gender restrooms are now available at the Manoa campus, and 73 percent of the bathrooms in the residence halls are all-gender bathrooms.

All-gender restrooms are also available at UH Hilo and UH West Oahu.

Similar to “family restrooms” that can be found in some shopping malls and airports, each all-gender restroom is a lockable, single-stall and provides both ADA accessibility and privacy.

Two student organizations led campaigns to actively bring attention to the issue at UH Manoa. The Associated Students of the University of Hawaii and the Graduate Student Organization passed resolutions in 2015 calling for more gender-neutral restrooms on campus.

“UH Manoa is committed to ensuring a safe, respectful and diverse campus that is free from discrimination and harassment. The establishment of all-gender restrooms is tangible evidence of that commitment,” said UH Manoa Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman. “We applaud the work of the leadership and staff at the LGBTQ+ Center, facilities personnel, and campus architects for working collaboratively and quickly to make these all-gender restrooms available for our students this fall.”

The Manoa LGBTQ+Center also assisted UH Hilo, which has more than 20 all-gender bathrooms, and UH West Oahu, which has one all-gender bathroom and plans to add two more.

“No one should ever feel uncomfortable using our restroom facilities,” said UH Hilo Chancellor Don Straney. “Protecting the privacy of our faculty, staff and students is a responsibility we take very seriously.”

“I’m pleased that we’re taking this long-awaited and necessary action,” interim UH West Oahu Chancellor Doris Ching said. “By providing gender-neutral restrooms, we hope that all persons will feel safer in every part of the UH West Oahu campus at all times.”

On May 13, 2016, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education released, under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a “Dear Colleague Letter” relating to the legal rights of transgender students in schools and universities receiving federal funding. The communication stated that students should have the right to use restrooms that match their gender identities.

The University of Hawaii says it had already started policy work in this area well before the letter was issued.

The all-gender restrooms on the Manoa campus are located in Architecture Building 315; the Dole Street Offices; Gartley Hall 11; Hamilton Library 303A and 303B; Holmes Hall 271, 371 and 471; and Webster Hall 401A.

Click to located all-gender restrooms at: