Editorial: Closing the gender neutral bathroom

Last year, Schreiber proudly opened up a gender neutral bathroom on the main floor, marking their progress by creating a safe place for everyone to express themselves.  For a long time, the gender neutral bathroom provided people with a space where they could feel safe showing their true colors.

But recently, the school has decided to restrict access, not only to the gender neutral bathroom, but to all bathrooms around campus.  In a letter sent to students and their parents, the school administration made it clear that due to an increased amount of smoking on campus, they would be limiting and restricting student use of bathrooms, which is not only unfair, but simply exclusive to students who feel the only place they can comfortably go throughout the day is now being under hawk-like review by the administration.

The gender neutral bathroom was briefly closed before being reopened, with revisions to the amount of security surrounding it.  According to the email, the school will now be strongly monitoring who goes in and out of bathrooms, and what frequency they do so at.  The school even went as far as to suggest that they may be installing video cameras in front of bathrooms, to make sure they can surely punish the people they suspect to be smoking.

However, this increased monitoring can pose a threat to LGBT students.  By restricting bathroom use, and imposing higher security measures to see who goes in and out of the bathrooms, the school will indirectly be imposing measures that will not only make students feel uncomfortable, but might also contribute to a decrease in self expression and celebration of self identity on campus.  The Schreiber Times suggests the school repeal their pleas to increase bathroom security, and instead make a more inclusive effort to put an end to problems they believe to be happening on school property.