The Problem with School Bathrooms

In the past few years, especially since the recent inauguration of President Donald Trump, there has been a sharp increase in debates and legislation regarding which bathrooms transgender people should use.
These debates often use the argument that men, dressed as women, may enter women’s restrooms in an attempt to sexually harass or assault women using the room. In fear that these people may escape prosecution by claiming to be transgender, this argument is used to force transgender individuals to use the bathroom of the sex that they were assigned at birth.
There are many misconceptions with this argument, and for many reasons may be refuted. Transgender people are not inherently predatory, and those attempting to harass people in bathrooms will not be dissuaded by these laws, as harassment itself is illegal.
Regardless, studies have found that there is no empirical evidence linking anti-transgender legislation and the amounts of harassment, assault, or voyeurism in public bathrooms, changing rooms, locker rooms, or any other areas. These studies have shown that reports of these sorts of crimes are “exceedingly rare to begin with”.
However, for those genuinely concerned about the safety of bathrooms, and particularly those meant for women and children, I believe that these issues are off the mark entirely. Many kinds of harmful things can occur in these kinds of intimate shared areas, which are not limited to sexual crimes. Body shaming, bullying, and a general lack of privacy occur much more often, and frequently fly under the radar as they are not inherently illegal. The assumption that separating men and women will prevent harm is simply outdated.
Although Queer people are not at a higher risk to commit these types of crimes, gay and transgender people face an increased risk of being the victims of harassment, bullying, and even assault in these shared areas, a statement which actually is backed by data. A whopping 70% of transgender youth report avoiding public bathrooms due to being unsafe or uncomfortable. This can be demonstrated even further by the death of nonbinary 16 year old Nex Benedict in Oklahoma, who died after a physical altercation in a girls’ bathroom in 2024.
I believe that there is a solution that doesn’t scapegoat queer people, because despite rhetoric used by the far right, your gender, sex, or sexuality makes no difference when it comes to the kind of harm you can bring to others.
Bathrooms, especially those intended for use by young people or children, need to have more privacy. Public bathrooms in the United States are notorious for having multiple feet of space both under and above the stalls, and inch wide gaps between the doors. This is also an issue in mens’ bathrooms, where urinals have little to no privacy as well as the stalls.
These weak attempts at protecting privacy make little difference when against someone willing to violate it. Enough of us accidentally make eye contact with someone through the stall door; if someone was intent on looking, the door might as well be glass. What bathrooms (and all publicly used private areas) need are private, individual spaces. This includes adequate doors, locks, and space inside. No more bathroom stalls that could be blown over with a big enough sneeze, or changing areas separated by nothing but a curtain, or sometimes nothing at all.
Ideally, these areas would not need to be segregated, as no one would know the gender of the person peeing next to them, given the areas are truly private. Unless the idea of washing your hands next to someone of the opposite gender upsets you, there would be no issue. However, realistically, these spaces would exist in men’s, women’s, and hopefully gender neutral spaces as well, to give everyone basic human decency.
Ultimately, this could cut down on violence, bullying, and harassment in bathrooms, and make a better experience for everyone along the way. Sex segregation will not end creeping, but privacy, and treating people like they have a right to it, will reduce it.
This article may not cure this issue nationwide, however, our school is currently constructing a new campus, which will likely be its home for years to come. I urge Inspire to ensure that the new bathrooms that are being built on this new campus are adequate, including real walls and doors, locks that function, private spaces for its students, and enough of these private spaces to accommodate its population.