I reviewed Whitman bathrooms so you don’t have to
February 23, 2023
One of the greatest menaces to college students is the bathroom quandary. No matter how you identify, you probably have some sort of plight surrounding where, when or how you take care of your business. You come to college, and you are no longer in the sanctity of your beloved home where there are hand towels and you can pee in the shower (that one took a massive toll on me). Now, you have to coordinate too many variables, and there’s always the chance that someone will walk in mid-poop and disrupt the harmony you have so tirelessly been pursuing.
I consider myself to be a bit of a bathroom connoisseur. I dabble in an app called PoopMap where users can “drop a poop” on the map whenever and wherever they go number two. I’m high in the ranks of thousands of poopers around the world, so I have ample experience in seeking out the good spots to go; this makes me quite qualified to impart a few of my thoughts on the bathrooms at Whitman.
I greatly appreciate the gender-inclusive bathrooms. Cleveland Commons, in particular, provides a delightful and all-inclusive atmosphere that is bright, airy and well-equipped. I feel secure in the private rooms and never feel rushed because there are always plenty of stalls open. Conversely, gendered bathrooms, such as the ones in Olin Hall, are usually victim to long lines during passing periods. If a busy dining hall can subvert lines by creating a neutral space with many stalls, there is no reason why academic buildings should have to play by the old gendered rules.
Also, there is something about the variety in the size and shape of the separate stalls in Cleveland Commons that brings me so much comfort — depending on the day and my mood, I regularly switch up where I go. They feel very welcoming and inclusive to all, and they remove the anxiety of choice for all individuals, no matter how you chose to identify.
On the other side of the spectrum, we have dorm bathrooms. As an Anderson Hall resident, I cannot fully attest to the rest of the residence halls, but I have a bone to pick with whoever came up with the rules and regulations for Andy bathrooms. The other day, I traipsed into a second-floor Anderson bathroom only to come face to face with some dude’s behind. He was pissing with the stall door wide open and his backpack still on. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like it doesn’t take much time or energy in that situation to latch the door. The Whitman Bathroom Etiquette Agreement needs to be updated.
In Anderson Hall, two bathrooms are gender-neutral while the rest are gendered. These on-campus gender-neutral spaces, however, feel male-dominated. I’m not sure if the majority of men were just never properly potty-trained, but the bathrooms that male-presenting students use are a war zone. The smell overtakes the entire place, piss runs rampant, toilets are left unflushed and they are constantly leaving leftover gloop in the sinks. Men tend to complain about the hair that women leave behind, and while this may hold true for some individuals, as a former housekeeper, I can vouch for the fact that men leave an obscene amount of pubic hair lying around.
A solution could be to make only male spaces and non-male spaces (as opposed to male and female), so if you want to spray shaving cream on the mirror, leave the seat up or not latch the door, then you should be free to do that with your chosen grimy comrades.
As I sit and pound away at my keyboard, grappling with the different options in my mind, I keep coming up feeling unable to adequately describe the predicament that nonbinary and trans individuals find themselves in at Whitman College. I believe you should go to the bathroom where you feel comfortable, and Whitman must do a better job of providing more of these all-inclusive spaces. I think the simplest and fastest solution we can find is to replace the gendered bathroom signs with gender-neutral signs in all academic buildings because why are we picking and choosing which buildings are inclusive? Going to the bathroom should not be something that people have to stress about and plan ahead for.
an avid reader • Mar 2, 2023 at 5:07 pm
I wanted to defend this article because I really appreciate reading this author’s satirical attitude on this issue.
This article does not propose that the only solution to the bathroom issue is to have male and non-male bathrooms. Instead, it offers the suggestion that the current gendered system is not working and that there is a need for more inclusive spaces. The article acknowledges the importance of gender-neutral bathrooms for non-binary and trans individuals and the need for all-inclusive spaces to ensure that everyone feels comfortable in public restrooms.
The author acknowledges that there are problems with male-dominated spaces, and the suggestion of separating bathrooms into male and non-male spaces is only one possible solution. The author is not suggesting that this is the best or only solution, but rather proposing it as one idea among many that could be considered.
Furthermore, the author does not claim that non-male spaces are inherently safe for trans people. Instead, the article emphasizes the need for all-inclusive spaces that do not force individuals to fit into binary gender categories. The author acknowledges that gender-neutral bathrooms exist to provide a safe and welcoming environment for trans people who do not fit into the binary, and that these spaces are essential.
The article’s goal is to highlight the bathroom issues that college students face and propose potential solutions, including making academic buildings gender-neutral. The author does not claim to have all the answers and encourages further discussion and consideration of all options. The article does not intend to be hateful or dismissive of the concerns of trans individuals, and it acknowledges the importance of all-inclusive spaces.
Roman • Mar 5, 2023 at 5:48 pm
“This article does not propose that the only solution to the bathroom issue is to have male and non-male bathrooms.”
I don’t care, that is the solution the article provides and that it what I’m critiquing. You could believe in a million other solutions but put forward just this one. It doesn’t matter. As a journalist, you are responsible for what you say and put forward.
“it offers the suggestion that … there is a need for more inclusive spaces. ”
No it doesn’t, It suggests the need for non-male spaces which is not the same as inclusive.
“The author acknowledges that there are problems with male-dominated spaces”
Bathrooms are not one of these spaces. Fear mongering men in bathrooms very quickly turns into transmisogynistic rhetoric.
“The author is not suggesting that this is the best or only solution, but rather proposing it as one idea among many that could be considered.”
Then why is it the only solution being put forward. You are assuming quite a lot here on the authors behalf. At the end of the day it really doesn’t matter if thats true or not considering that once again it was the only solution put forward. This is almost even more reckless if the author doesn’t think its the best solution! Why would you put forward an idea you don’t fully agree with and not present the counter argument. This goes back to my first point about responsible journalism. Also don’t speak for the author… unless…
“Furthermore, the author does not claim that non-male spaces are inherently safe for trans people”
Irrelevant. It doesn’t need to be clearly stated when it’s implied. The alternative is that this argument was presented with no concern of trans safety which is even worse than a misguided attempt at ally-ship.
“The article emphasizes the need for all-inclusive spaces that do not force individuals to fit into binary gender categories.”
Briefly touches on? Yes. Emphasizes? Not so much.
“The article’s goal is to highlight the bathroom issues that college students face and propose potential solutions,”
If this truly is the goal (once again you are speaking for the author) then it falls short. It’s a few personal anecdotes followed by quick solutions with little thought put into them.
“including making academic buildings gender-neutral”
Finally something we agree on.
“The author… encourages further discussion and consideration of all options. ”
Great. Let’s further the discussion. Is that not exactly what I’m doing?
“The article does not intend to be hateful or dismissive of the concerns of trans individuals”
How do you know the intentions of the author? Stop speaking on her behalf, your arguments are weaker for it. Regardless, intentions are not important in journalism. We as the reader have no way of knowing what the author intends.
Except for you I guess
Roman • Feb 26, 2023 at 2:54 pm
The solution of male and non male bathrooms presented in this article is incredibly regressive. The idea that non male equals safe for trans people is simply untrue. It feels like you have boiled down gender to woman, woman-lite, and man. You have failed to consider that the reason gender neutral bathrooms exist is so that trans people don’t fit neatly into the binary don’t have to choose which of the categories they most closely represent. This problem still exists with the model you’ve purposed. You have failed to consider all “male presenting” (as you put it) trans individuals who feel uncomfortable in male spaces and “female presenting” ones who feel uncomfortable in female spaces. The whole point of gender neutral bathrooms is for trans people to never seem out of place because they always belong, everyone belongs.In a time where anti-trans sentiment has never been higher, this position is at best ignorant and best hateful. Please educate yourself on your position of privilege you are in if your biggest concern about bathrooms is that they are messy.
Sincerely, A concerned trans reader