Brunswick East Primary School opts for gender neutral toilets
Brunswick East Primary School says smelly urinals and safety and privacy fears have pushed it to choose gender neutral toilets. They are just one of the Melbourne schools embracing all gender restrooms.
Education
Don't miss out on the headlines from Education . Followed categories will be added to My News.
Kids spying on others by clambering over and under walls, smelly urinals and gender fluid students grappling with what toilet to use has prompted a Melbourne primary school to opt for gender neutral toilets.
In a just completed maintenance upgrade, Brunswick East Primary School decided to embrace unisex toilets for a range of reasons including safety, privacy and hygiene.
The Brunswick East school is among a number of schools choosing gender neutral toilets, often as part of an upgrade of existing facilities. Princes Hill Secondary College has committed to install the toilets. Carey Grammar has gender neutral toilets and uniforms.
Lady Northcote Recreation Camp, near Bacchus Marsh, which is run by YMCA Victoria, installed gender neutral toilets in the past year to accommodate the thousands of children attending the camp each year.
While the Victorian Department of Education and Training said the issue of gender neutral toilets was made at local school level, the lobby group Parents Victoria welcomed the toilets.
“Some schools are realistic and sensible. We all have gender neutral bathrooms in our homes why not schools?” president Gail McHardy said.
She said toilets were a hot topic in schools due to hygiene and cleanliness and issues around who teaches young boys to use the urinal.
Some parents at the Brunswick East Primary School were unaware the toilets would be gender neutral but principal Janet Di Pilla told the school community in a newsletter that the issue had been discussed formally and informally in 2017 when they were looking to upgrade the toilets.
She said deep cleaning of the toilets, to make them more acceptable to children resisting going to the toilets during the day due to the smell, had not worked. There are no urinals in the new toilets.
“All of these issues are annoying and new facilities will not resolve all of them. However, the most compelling arguments for me were those where I had students (and often their parents) come and talk to me about the anxiety they had about using the toilets,” she said.
“These concerns were about privacy and inclusion. Some students were highly embarrassed when students in the cubicle next to them looked over the cubicle wall while they were sitting on the toilet. Others were embarrassed by the students sliding under the cubicle door and looking at them. Other students talked to me about the anxiety they had when they had to choose which toilet to use. For students who are gender fluid or have made (or are making) a decision to change, they are sometimes questioned about the choice of toilet they have made.”
Transgender Victoria executive director Sally Goldner said once gender neutral toilets were introduced organisations often wondered why they had not done it earlier.
“Many students, not necessarily only trans and gender diverse students, feel unsafe where there are only male or female toilets,” she said.
“This means they wait until they can get to a known safe toilet to relieve themselves which can create physical health problems.
“When the truth, as distinct from myths is revealed about gender neutral toilets, organisations then give them a shot and wonder 6 months later what the fuss was about. Few if any people reports concerns.’
In 2017, the South Australian State Government approved a policy that allows school students to use toilets of the gender they identify with.
YMCA camp manager Rob Cummins said the Lady Northcote bathroom refurbishment was a result of a growing need to provide more inclusion.
“Over the last three years there has been a growing number of students who are transitioning or are transgender and a camp is an important place for everyone to feel welcomed, accepted and comfortable so they can have a memorable experience,” he said.
The YMCA Victoria said this week: “YMCA Victoria is committed to accessibility and inclusivity for all regardless of age, gender or ability. The YMCA has gender neutral toilets across selected camps, gym and recreation facilities to meet community needs. We are currently in the process of developing a rollout program to increase the number of gender neutral toilets.”
The YMCA said the feedback was “extremely positive” to the Lady Northcote gender neutral toilets. Since they were opened in May, 2018, there have been 300 groups, consisting of 18,000 campers through.
Girls’ schools navigating a multi-gender world have enlisted a US expert to advise them on how to support transgender students.
The Alliance of Girls’ Schools of Australasia, representing 175 schools and 132,000 female students, hosted international psychotherapist and transgender specialist Julie Mencher to lead workshops in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland earlier this year.
Ms Mencher presented “Single-sex schools in a multi-gender world: How can girls’ schools be better equipped?” to help schools better understand the changing gender landscape and how to support gender nonconforming students.
A number of single sex and co-ed schools are working out how to accommodate students who don’t want to use gendered toilets or are transitioning.
RELATED
SCHOOL TELLS KIDS TO HAUL GARBAGE HOME
BOOKS EXPERTS SAY YOUR KIDS SHOULD READ
STUDENTS IN COCAINE, GROG LIMO BINGE
In his submission to the Federal Government Senate Inquiry into the Sexual Discrimination Act late last year Carey principal Philip Grutzner outlined the policies in place at the Kew school to include all people, pointing to mental health issues experienced by students grappling with their sexual identity.
“For the past two years we have had a staff and student Pride Group. This is open to all, irrespective of their gender, identity or sexual preferences. It also welcomes allies. This group provides support, educates our community about the challenges facing LGBTQI+ people and reviews school activities and policies to make sure they are truly inclusive. Earlier this year they marched under the Carey banner at the Gay Pride March in St Kilda,” his submission stated.
“We have gender neutral toilets.
“We continue to work with the Royal Children’s Hospital and each family to provide a plan of support for each Carey student who is going through a gender transition, or those who do not identify with binary gender norms.”
Which unis give you best odds of finding a job?
Nine out of 10 graduates from Victorian universities are working full-time three years after finishing their studies. See which are the top-ranked institutions for higher education in Victoria.
Your guide to schools around Dandenong
As more people move to Dandenong and Endeavour Hills, the need for secondary schools in the area grows. Here’s a comprehensive guide of each school you can send your child to, including the VCE scores, subjects and public transport options.