The case for gender-neutral housing

[Natasha]

The case for gender-neutral housing

The Berkeley Beacon
Scott Douglas Fisher
12/11/2008

While doing polling on gender neutral housing several weeks ago, a friend came up to me and said "thanks." She told me the story of her transgender boyfriend and how much it meant to him when Emerson opened gender neutral bathrooms; that it was one of the only times in his life he's ever felt someone actually cared about his community.

Now, as we work on gender neutral on-campus housing as an option for students, I fear some people may have forgotten the purpose. This isn't about couples living together, and it's not just about transgender students, either. This is about every student feeling comfortable with who they are and how they live. Gender-neutral housing wouldn't mean students would be randomly assigned roommates regardless of gender.