Gender-Inclusive Washrooms

Physical Accessibility

People with mobility limitations are disproportionately impacted by a lack of physically accessible bathrooms, and have limited access to public bathroom facilities both at McGill and in wider Montreal. Depending on the mobility limitation, and the device used to palliate it (eg., wheelchair, cane, etc.) there are many design features to consider when evaluating bathroom accessibility.  For example, the door must be wide enough to allow a motorized wheelchair to pass through it, and once inside the bathroom, there must be sufficient floor space for a wheelchair to comfortably navigate turns.  Faucet height, toilet height, and presence of a grab bar are additional considerations.

Single User

While many people appreciate privacy while using the bathroom, for some people the need for privacy is critical.  A few examples of situations with increased privacy needs:

• People with certain chronic medical conditions may require more or different types of privacy; for example, those needing to perform regular injections, or with a colostomy bag
• People practicing religious rites, ie. someone performing an ablution prior to prayer or worship.
• People using environmentally friendly menstrual products such as the Keeper or Mooncup
• People with anxiety

Unisex Designated

Trans is an umbrella term intended to include all people whose gender identity does not align with the sex designation they were assigned at birth.  Within this umbrella category, some may identify as transgender, transsexual, gender non-conforming, and a host of other terms. Trans and gender non-conforming people are disproportionately affected by norms that are restrictive and non-affirming of gender identity, gender diversity, and gender presentation. While many trans people may be comfortable with or prefer to use a sex-designated bathroom that correlates with their gender identity and presentation (and this is an important right that should be upheld) others may feel safer or more comfortable in a singer-user unisex designated space.  For trans people who experience gender policing and harassment in sex-designated spaces, not having to navigate this while using the facilities can be a relief.

People with young children whose gender identity differs from their own find may also benefit from single-user unisex-designated bathrooms.

McGill students, staff, and faculty began working on creating Gender Inclusive bathrooms (formerly called Gender Neutral Bathrooms) on campus beginning in 2003.  McGill's Subcommittee on Queer People, and a student group named Transgender Alliance, worked with McGill's Campus Planning and Development Office to identify and convert a number of bathrooms over the course of 2007-2008.

The Joint Board-Senate Committee on Equity passed the following policy relating to Gender Inclusive bathrooms in May of 2007:

The university shall assure the existence of at least one gender-neutral washroom in every newly constructed building on campus, and preferably one on every floor of every newly constructed building, where possible.

The university shall modify any existing single-user washrooms on campus by resigning them with gender-neutral signs and adding interior door locks. These cost-effective measures should be applied to all existing single-user washrooms where possible, with the minimum goal being one per building where such single-user facilities exist, and preferably one per floor where such pre-existing single-user facilities exist.

Beginning in 2012, an ad-hoc committee began meeting to expand the existence of physically accessible and unisex-designated single user facilities.  The following units and groups have contributed to this initiative:

• Office for Students with Disabilities
• Subcommittee on Queer People
• Subcommittee for Persons with Disabilities
• Social Equity and Diversity Education Office
• Queer McGill’s Trans* Working Group
• Campus Planning and Development Office