Advocating on Campus: Three Lessons Learned

by Sydney Mitchell Harris, BSW

     When I started college, I realized there were no single-user restrooms on campus. Bathrooms are a place in which anyone can be vulnerable, and for individuals who do not conform to gender norms, a bathroom can be an incredibly stressful and frightening place. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (Grant et al., n.d.), 50% of all transgender people will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime, and in the span of a year, one in three members of the LGBTQIA+ community will be discriminated against in some way. As we have seen in recent times with anti-trans legislation sweeping the country, not everyone is accepting or supportive of individuals who may look, act, or live differently from themselves (Gruberg et al., n.d.).

     In 2019, when I was nominated to serve on the College Advisory Board as the Gender Studies Representative, I began to address the issue of restroom accessibility and student and faculty inclusivity on my campus. With diversity in all forms on a university campus, I believe it is essential that everyone — student, faculty, staff, or visitor — feels included and safe using the restroom. My university has many adult learners and plenty of commuter students. On campus, there are approximately 85 restrooms. Until the spring of 2019, no “gender-friendly” restrooms existed on campus.

     Today, there are less than 10 single-use, gender-friendly restrooms. The existing gender-friendly/family restrooms are all located in the newly renovated arena. The only other restrooms on the entire campus are the standard male and female restrooms. For students, faculty, staff, or visitors who are transgender, non-binary, have physical disabilities, or bring their children to campus, there is no restroom to use if they feel uncomfortable using the standard restrooms or need the extra space and privacy that a single-occupancy restroom offers. In addition, there are no baby changing tables in any of the men’s restrooms on campus. Creating gender neutral/family restrooms provides spaces for parents and those who may be inconvenienced or uncomfortable taking their child into the existing restrooms.

     Restroom availability is something that affects everyone regardless of gender identity. The reason this topic is so important to me is because of the social work core values — service, social justice, dignity and worth of the individual, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence — that have not only guided me in my professional life, but now guide my personal life. Guided by these values, I started a petition on campus to create gender neutral and/or family/single-occupancy restrooms on campus. This initiative encapsulates the values of social justice and the dignity and worth of an individual.

     It is no secret that gender-nonconforming individuals and people who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community have been struggling to gain equal rights and accessibilities. Currently, there are states across the country that have implemented or are actively working on laws that prohibit transgender people from using the restroom that matches their identity, reduce or eliminate access to proper identity documents (like driver's licenses), prohibit transgender youth from participating in school events or clubs, prevent access to necessary healthcare, and prohibit local jurisdictions from enacting ordinances that prohibit discrimination against transgender people (Family Equality Council, 2021). 

     In 2019, the year that I began this initiative, 25 known hate crime related murders were committed against transgender individuals and gender-nonconforming individuals. Of those 25 individuals killed, 91% were black women, 81% were under the age of 30, and 68% lived in the southern U.S. In 2020, at least 44 known hate crime related murders were committed against transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals (Human Rights Campaign, n.d.). With hate crimes increasing and states enacting and working to enact such laws and regulations, I believe that it is my duty as a social worker to do all I can to protect those who do not conform to gender norms. I do not know how many people on my university’s campus are transgender or gender-nonconforming, but I do know these individuals deserve to feel safe when using the restroom. They deserve to feel like they belong on our campus, and they deserve the normalcy that the gender conforming community has the privilege of possessing, especially when doing something so common as using the bathroom. 

     Currently, my petition to install gender neutral/family restrooms on my university’s campus has more than 500 electronic signatures. I've had several faculty and staff members at my university reach out to me to offer a helping hand in my pursuit to achieve campus inclusivity and to offer their support for my initiative. The petition was turned into a charge to faculty senate, where it was approved and moved to committee for discussion. I have been incredibly grateful for all of the support I have received thus far. Although I am graduating from college this May with my BSW, I will still do all that I can to try to push my bathroom initiative into becoming a reality, offer suggestions when they are needed, and be a part of any decision-making processes I am asked to be a part of. I care deeply about my university’s campus, my university’s students, and the safety and well-being of all people who set foot onto my university’s campus. 

     So, what have I learned along my advocating journey? 

• Advocating is hard work. I found that advocating for a cause takes a lot of time and effort. When you dedicate your life to social justice, as I have, know that things do not get done overnight and that a lot of hard work surrounding your cause is headed your way. But even so, you’ll no doubt have a lot of amazing people — mentors, friends, and colleagues — help you along the way. Rely on them to support and help with the initiative. You can’t do it alone.
• There will always be people who disagree. A local news station, as well as a local newspaper, covered my restroom initiative, and I completed interviews for both. The news station posted the article they wrote about me on their Facebook page, and the number of people who voiced opposition to my initiative was astounding. Even so, when you are advocating, don’t let hateful comments get to you. In my case, I know that I am doing something beneficial and worthwhile, so hateful comments don’t matter to me. 
• You have to take care of yourself. I know as social workers we are constantly being told to practice self-care. Being told constantly that we need to take care of ourselves can be overwhelming, but it’s something that we really need to do. I know that I am guilty of saying that I am going to practice self-care, but then life gets busy, and I sometimes have a hard time finding time to actually practice self-care. I have to make time. I need to set it as a priority. When you are advocating, you’re going to feel stressed, and tired, and like it would just be easier to give up, but don’t! Set time aside to do something you enjoy. Go on a hike, bake some cookies, take a bath — anything that will help you reset. Reflect on the reason you began advocating, and focus on your cause.  

     I hope my lessons learned from advocating on campus are helpful to you. Social workers are called to advocate for social justice, and there are always people who need their voices to be heard!

References

Family Equity Council. (2021). Transgender Rights.  https://www.familyequality.org/issues/transgender-rights/

Grant, J. M., Mottet, L. A., J. D., & Tanis, J. (n.d.). Injustice at every turn: A report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey.

Gruberg, S., Mahowald, L., & Halpin, J. (n.d.). The state of the LGBTQ community in 2020. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/reports/2020/10/06/491052/state-lgbtq-community-2020/

Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.). Violence against the transgender community in 2019.  https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-transgender-community-in-2019

Sydney Mitchell Harris, BSW, is a May 2021 social work graduate with a double minor in gender studies and psychology. She wrote this article as part of her Honors Capstone Project with Dr. Elissa Mitchell.