A different kind of college transition
A young man's story
By Ginger Rae Dunbar
Published: Sunday, February 19, 2012
http://www.wcuquad.com/features/a-different-kind-of-college-transition-1.2787309#.T0O4v8xEYasMost first-year students living in the residence halls have to adapt to living away from home. For some, they walk down a hall to shower, noting the lack of privacy. For Breckin DeWane, his biggest concern involved his choice of which gender designated bathroom to use, due to a fear of a consequence for his decision.
To most people, they obey the gender designated restroom signs without much thought. For DeWane and others who identify as transgender, the visual of the sign that indicates male or female can dictate their fate from the minute they enter the restroom. He started his transition during his second semester of his first year of college.
DeWane recently started to use the men's bathroom this academic year, his fifth at West Chester University. Normally he would have to "sprint home" to his dorm room to use the bathroom on his co-ed floor. It was a place where other residents knew him already. Mainly, he got adjusted to resorting to walk to Starbucks only to use the single occupancy bathroom.
