In Support of All-Gender Restrooms on California Community College Campuses

Spring
2019
Resolution Number
13.03
 
Contact
Assigned to
Equity and Diversity Action Committee
Category
General Concerns
Status
Assigned

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) embrace equity principles for all in its Values Statement [1], which states that the ASCCC “works to empower faculty from diverse backgrounds and experiences in order to promote inclusiveness and equity in all of their forms” and support this same principle as applied to all students and staff;

Whereas, AB 1732 (Ting, 2016) [2] requires “all single-user toilet facilities in any business establishment, place of public accommodation, or government agency to be identified as all-gender toilet facilities” thus expanding existing protections under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to protect people who identify as transgender and providing protections on the basis of both gender identity and gender expression — regardless of the person’s assigned sex at birth;

Whereas, In the Journal of College and University Law (2014) it is observed that “the most common daily difficulty for a transgender student on campus is restroom usage. These students frequently face discomfort and sometimes harassment no matter which restroom they choose – the one matching their birth sex or the one corresponding to their gender identity. Many trans students choose to avoid sex-specified restrooms, including foregoing using any restroom [emphasis added], to avoid these difficulties” [3]; and

Whereas, The California School Board Association has declared, “a safe, nondiscriminatory environment – where students are not distracted by fear nor disengaged from learning because of non-acceptance by their peers or staff – is essential to student achievement,” and “districts are encouraged to develop strategies to minimize social stigmatization for such students and maximize opportunities for social integration so that all students have an equal opportunity to attend school, be engaged and achieve academic success” [4],

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges strongly urge local senates to collaborate with their local administrations, governing boards, and other stakeholders to take immediate steps to provide all-gender restroom facilities that are accessible at all hours during which instruction occurs and in high occupancy areas of campuses;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges strongly urge local senates to collaborate with their local administrations, governing boards, and other stakeholders to create and make accessible maps of all-gender restrooms;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges strongly urge local senates to collaborate with their local administrations, governing boards, and other stakeholders to include all-gender restroom facilities in all new construction plans; and

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges strongly urge local senates to collaborate with their local administrations, governing boards, and other stakeholders to designate a multiple-stall bathroom for gender inclusivity if single-user toilet facilities do not exist in high occupancy areas and/or new construction is not planned for those areas.

MSU


1. https://www.asccc.org/about/values-statement
2. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=20…
3. Perdue, Troy J. (2014). Trans* Issues for Colleges and Universities: Records, Housing, Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Athletics. Journal of College and University Law, 41(1), 45- 70.https://cdn.atixa.org/website-media/o_atixa/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/…
4. California School Board Association (2014, February). Providing a Safe, Nondiscriminatory School Environment for Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students. Policy Brief, 1-6. https://www.csba.org/~/media/E68E16A652D34EADA2BFDCD9668B1C8F.ashx