{"id":13482,"date":"2023-12-11T13:26:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T20:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?p=13482"},"modified":"2023-12-11T15:53:07","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T22:53:07","slug":"12-of-lbcc-bathrooms-are-gender-inclusive-its-growing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?p=13482","title":{"rendered":"12% of LBCC bathrooms are gender inclusive, it\u2019s growing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Correction: An initial version of the caption of the photo of Rene Hoyo stated he was professor, but he is an instructional assistant. It had been corrected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People need to pee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is one of the immutable facts of life: everyone uses the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For many students, entering the men\u2019s or women\u2019s restroom while attending classes on LBCC campus is something they barely spare a second thought to, but for students who don&#8217;t feel safe entering either bathroom, tracking down a bathroom the students can use can be a hassle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LAC, like most other colleges, has single stall, gender neutral bathrooms for students to use. The issue is, many of these bathrooms are out of the way, difficult to find, or in buildings with low foot traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I have to use the bathroom during a class in a building with no gender neutral bathrooms, I just hold it. It\u2019s such a dysphoric experience when I have to go into the women\u2019s restroom, especially when I\u2019m presenting more masculine,\u201d Payne West, a LBCC student said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">West is one of several students and faculty who regularly use the few single stall, gender neutral bathrooms available on campus. 12 single stall bathrooms are available to students at the Liberal Arts Campus (LAC), compared to 44 men\u2019s and 44 women\u2019s multi stall restrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s infuriating because it can pose a health risk, having to hold it when I don\u2019t feel safe going into the men\u2019s or women\u2019s restroom,\u201d West said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">West is nonbinary, not aligning with either category of man or woman. Prior to attending LBCC, West went to a community college near Bakersfield, where they said it was much harder to find any gender neutral bathrooms at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere were probably no gender neutral bathrooms in that whole town. Yes, it\u2019s better (at LBCC) than other places, but it\u2019s like they just don\u2019t want to get better,\u201d West said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ross Trujillo, another nonbinary student, has been attending LBCC for five years, but only started to use the single stall bathrooms after they began identifying as nonbinary and returning to school after the COVID-19 quarantine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Trujillo, going to the bathroom is something they have to plan in advance, ensuring they can go to a gender neutral bathroom to relieve themselves before attending class in a building with only men\u2019s or women\u2019s bathrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to make people uncomfortable. Sometimes it\u2019s important to put other people\u2019s needs above our own, but I have to pee too,\u201d Trujillo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Trujillo has to go during class, they have to decide between getting gawked at in the men\u2019s room, questioned in the women\u2019s room or walking to an entirely different building to find a gender neutral bathroom, eating away at valuable class time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13483\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?attachment_id=13483\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0206-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS Rebel T6i&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Gender netrual bathroom on the second floor of the M building. This is one of three gender netrual bathrooms in the building.\\r\\rLbcc has a lack of gender netrual bathrooms. This is one of the few that is availlible to all students. This one is from the newly built M building at the LAC campus.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1701783015&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;35&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0206\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This gender neutral bathroom is on the second floor of the M building. This is one of three gender neutral bathrooms in the building. LBCC has a lack of gender neutral bathrooms. This is one of the few that is available to all students (Zuri Minor)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0206-scaled.jpg?fit=696%2C464&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0206.jpg?w=696&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13483\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This gender neutral bathroom is on the second floor of the M building. This is one of three gender neutral bathrooms in the building. LBCC has a lack of gender neutral bathrooms. This is one of the few that is available to all students (Zuri Minor)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne time someone asked me if I was in the right bathroom. It was the women\u2019s restroom and I\u2019m biologically female, so it was a little surprising. I just said \u2018yes\u2019 in a pitched up voice, even though my voice isn\u2019t that masculine just to make sure they wouldn\u2019t get scared,\u201d Trujillo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LBCC has attempted to address the lack of single stall bathrooms by ensuring that all newly constructed buildings include at least one gender neutral bathroom per floor, according to Business Services Vice President Raymond West.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, the only buildings with gender neutral bathrooms are those that have been renovated within the last decade, meaning the P, M, W, V and J buildings all have single stall bathrooms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The outlier is the A building, where the student health services offices have a single occupancy bathroom students can use upon request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe challenge we have in old buildings is that you can\u2019t take a pre-existing bathroom and convert it to a single occupancy bathroom,\u201d West said. \u201cbut how can we say you belong, when you can\u2019t even find a place to (use the bathroom)?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"13484\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?attachment_id=13484\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?fit=1707%2C2560&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1707,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS Rebel T6i&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Rene Hoyo, a professor at LBCC, standing in front of  the gender neutral bathroom. Hoyo is a professor that works in the M building at the LAC campus.\\r\\rHoyo needed to use the bathroom, and says that he often uses the gender netrual one. He likes the privacy, and has no problem with what people refer to him as.(Zuri Minor)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1701784290&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;35&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Rene Hoyo, a professor at LBCC, stands in front of the gender neutral bathroom in the M Building. Hoyo is a professor that works in the M building at the LAC campus. Hoyo needed to use the bathroom, and says that he often uses the gender netrual one. He likes the privacy, and has no problem with what people refer to him as. (Zuri Minor)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?resize=1365%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?resize=696%2C1044&amp;ssl=1 696w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?resize=1068%2C1602&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0215-scaled.jpg?w=1707&amp;ssl=1 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rene Hoyo, an instructional assistant at LBCC, stands in front of the gender neutral bathroom in the M Building. Hoyo is a instructional assistant that works in the M building at the LAC campus. Hoyo needed to use the bathroom, and says that he often uses the gender netrual one. He likes the privacy, and has no problem with what people refer to him as. (Zuri Minor)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the push for the construction of more single stall, gender neutral bathrooms continues, there are options LBCC can consider to further help students and increase the number of gender neutral bathrooms accessible to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, the LAC P building houses three gender neutral bathrooms, but two have been locked and designated as \u2018staff only\u2019 bathrooms. On the second floor of the V building, single stall bathrooms exist behind lock and key, also designated to be staff only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about this distinction, Vice President West said it was likely enforced at the discretion of the buildings\u2019 department dean, and could not give a further answer as to why these bathrooms are inaccessible to students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LBCC could also push to expedite the reconstruction of old campus buildings that do not house single stall bathrooms. As the percentage of nonbinary and transgender students increases, so will the need for bathrooms they feel comfortable using.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rene Hoyo, an instructional assistant that works in the computer and office studies department lab, said he felt more comfortable using the single occupancy stalls for privacy and cleanliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI always come back here to use this bathroom. If I\u2019m by the B building I might use the bathroom they have there, but otherwise if I have to go, I come back to the M building to use these bathrooms,\u201d Hoyo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hoyo talked at length about the struggle gender non-conforming and transgender people face when using public restrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI work a lot with members of the LGBT community. A lot of the time we go to places with no gender neutral bathrooms and people feel awkward going into the bathroom. They worry they might make others uncomfortable. They might not worry as much in a gender neutral bathroom,\u201d Hoyo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere just needs to be more. What we have now is not enough,\u201d Trujillo said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Correction: An initial version of the caption of the photo of Rene Hoyo stated he was professor, but he is an instructional assistant. It had been corrected. People need to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":13485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[4534,3598,5116,29,142,68,10,5060],"class_list":["post-13482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-cain-carbajal","tag-gender","tag-gender-neutral","tag-lbcc","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-city-college","tag-news","tag-zuni-minor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Skgy-3vs","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lbccviking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/News_20230512_GenderNeutralBathroom_ZMinor_0211-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13482"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13489,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13482\/revisions\/13489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}