UH Manoa now provides all-gender restrooms

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Camaron Miyamoto, (808) 956-9250
Director , LGBTQ+ Center
Posted: Aug 16, 2016

All-gender restroom sign
All-gender restroom sign

Link to video and soundbites - http://bit.ly/2bpBtiL
See more information at bottom of press release.

Nine all-gender restrooms are now available at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus, and 73 percent of the bathrooms in the residence halls are all-gender bathrooms. All-gender restrooms are also available at UH Hilo and UH West Oʻahu. Similar to “family restrooms” that can be found in some shopping malls and airports, each all-gender restroom is a lockable, single-stall and provides both ADA accessibility and privacy.

Two student organizations led campaigns to actively bring attention to the issue at UH Mānoa. The Associated Students of the University of Hawaiʻi and the Graduate Student Organization passed resolutions in 2015 calling for more gender-neutral restrooms on campus.

“UH Mānoa is committed to ensuring a safe, respectful and diverse campus that is free from discrimination and harassment.  The establishment of all-gender restrooms is tangible evidence of that commitment,” said UH Mānoa Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman. “We applaud the work of the leadership and staff at the LGBTQ+ Center, facilities personnel, and campus architects for working collaboratively and quickly to make these all-gender restrooms available for our students this fall.”

The Mānoa LGBTQ+Center also assisted UH Hilo, which has more than 20 all-gender bathrooms, and UH West Oʻahu, which has one all-gender bathroom and plans to add two more.

“No one should ever feel uncomfortable using our restroom facilities,” said UH Hilo Chancellor Don Straney.  “That’s why we’ve established more than 20 gender-neutral bathrooms throughout the campus, including our residence halls, Student Life Center and other key buildings, which can be readily located on our interactive map (https://hilo.hawaii.edu/uhh/maps.php#interactive). Protecting the privacy of our faculty, staff and students is a responsibility we take very seriously.”

“I’m pleased that we’re taking this long-awaited and necessary action,” interim UH West Oʻahu Chancellor Doris Ching said. “By providing gender-neutral restrooms, we hope that all persons will feel safer in every part of the UH West Oʻahu campus at all times.”

On May 13, 2016, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education released, under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a “Dear Colleague Letter” relating to the legal rights of transgender students in schools and universities receiving federal funding.  The communication stated that students should have the right to use restrooms that match their gender identities.

The University of Hawaiʻi had already started policy work in this area well before the letter was issued. 

“All-gender restrooms can be essential for transgender and gender-non-conforming students who don’t feel comfortable in sex-segregated facilities,” said LGBTQ+ Center Director Camaron Miyamoto.  “In addition, their use is ideal for ADA access, caregivers, parents with children and anyone who might require some additional space and privacy that cannot be provided within a restroom with multiple stalls.”

The all-gender restrooms on the Mānoa campus are located in Architecture Building 315; the Dole Street Offices; Gartley Hall 11; Hamilton Library 303A and 303B; Holmes Hall 271, 371 and 471; and Webster Hall 401A. http://manoa.hawaii.edu/campusmap/pdf/UHM-all-gender-restrooms-map.pdf

For links to UH Hilo’s gender-neutral restrooms, see

https://hilo.hawaii.edu/eeoaa/documents/unisex_restroom_location_map_final.pdf

and https://hilo.hawaii.edu/uhh/maps.php.

 

Link to video and soundbites - http://bit.ly/2bpBtiL

BROLL (1 minutes, 4 seconds)  

UH Mānoa generic campus (2 shots)

UH Mānoa all-gender bathroom (2 shots)
UH Hilo generic campus (2 shots)

UH Hilo all-gender bathroom (2 shots)
UH West Oʻahu generic campus (2 shots)

UH West Oʻahu all-gender bathroom (2 shots)

SOUNDBITES
Cameron Miyamoto - Director, UH Mānoa LGBTQ+ Center (12 seconds)
"There is a mandate for this nationally and I'm really proud that UH is ahead of the curve. We started working on this long before it was the law and long before there was federal guidance."

Robert Bley-Vroman - Chancellor, UH Mānoa (11 seconds) "People sometimes ask me if there was resistance; the answer is no. There is no resistance. People know it's the right thing to do. It will help Mānoa be the ʻohana that we want it to be."

Don Straney - Chancellor, UH Hilo (6 seconds)
"No one should feel uncomfortable in a restroom; that's why we established all-gender bathrooms on campus."

Doris Ching - Chancellor, UH West Oʻahu (15 seconds)
"We are pleased to take this long-awaited and necessary action by providing gender-neutral restrooms; we hope that all persons will feel safer in every part of the UH West Oʻahu campus at all times."

For more information on the LGBTQ+ Center, see http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/lgbt/.