We should draw the line at gender neutral dorms

Everyone has heard about Target’s policy on gender neutral bathrooms by now. And although they may be taking it to the extreme to where anyone can use whatever bathroom they would like, the concept behind it isn’t terrible. They just are crossing some lines that shouldn’t have to be crossed, and same goes for dorm housing on many university campuses.

People can choose men or women bathrooms, but what about those who are uncomfortable in either? Having a gender neutral bathroom isn’t a big deal. So maybe if organizations wanted to implement a single stall or multiple stall bathroom for those who would like other options, it shouldn’t be a big deal. It is just a toilet behind a door, which is no different than the “family” bathroom. Anyone can go in there if they want! No one is going to judge just because you wanted a little more privacy in your own chamber.

Now, although bathrooms aren’t a terrible idea, housing may be a completely different story.

Many campuses (Virginia Tech included) are starting to convert some dorms into “gender neutral” – but why?

We claim we want everyone to feel equal, but now, we are starting to separate those “different” from us by placing them in certain dorms. University of California Berkley has a dorm called the “Unity House” that is LGBT themed and Humboldt State has one called the “Rainbow Community.” How does that make anyone feel normal?

“[The housing facility] would have to be chosen specifically like you can choose your roommate,” said David Arczynski, a junior at Virginia Tech, “but I think it would be complicated.”

Kristen Hornbaker, a Virginia Tech freshman who resides on campus said that there would be a lot that goes into sharing a room with the opposite sex. “There has to be an understanding that it’s a lot different – that sharing a room with a guy is a lot different than with a girl,” she said. “Some people are totally fine with it and others are more conservative.”

Additionally, letting people choose to live with the opposite sex can also become risky. If this occurs, there will have to be strict limitations on who can get in and who can’t. Having couples living together causes huge issues if they break up. Having mixed dorms without everyone’s consent leads to other issues because students don’t necessarily have a say in which hall they live in, unlike gender neutral bathrooms where people can choose one or another. Students already get free choice when choosing a roommate. By placing people in certain dorms without choice is now putting others in potentially uncomfortable situations rather than them putting themselves in those situations.

David said that he believes there could be some exceptions for people who are married. Kristen couldn’t agree more. “Allowing freshman [couples] to live together is allowing people to make a big step that people aren’t ready for,” said Kristen. “We’re only 18 years old and we have to think of the parents too, and I don’t think parents would go for that.”

She elaborated on how those of the LGBT community wouldn’t cause stress in a roommate situation. She said that it would still be similar when living with a straight roommate, for they both have different attractions. “We could just be friends and live together,” she said. “We would just have to know that [sexual preference] and if it was random I would have to know them better.”

Finally, if there was a screening process for people who wanted to live in these buildings, who is to say that people are telling the truth and not taking advantage of the system? And if they are telling the truth, the private investigation and intensive questioning can also become too personal for those people who may already receive a lot of backlash for their identity.

We all have to struggle with the uncomfortableness of living in a dorm, but from my experience, no one is complaining about roommates’ sexual identity. At the end of the day, we are all human and should be able to live together in unity and not have to figure out a new housing situation because of slight differences.