While Delta College offers six gender-neutral bathrooms on the Stockton campus, the distances to those locations are sometimes long, making equity inaccessible for students using these facilities.
Campus leaders hope to see that change soon.
“It’s obvious that Delta needs to have more all-gender restrooms on campus,” said Program Manager for the Pride Center, Dr. Ricky Gutierrez-Maldonado. “Employees, students, and guests should not have to go to another building to use the facilities. They should be in all campus buildings.”
While the ongoing conversation for more all-gender restrooms continues, Delta has this in its plans, starting with examinations in current restrooms in order to increase the number of gender-neutral restrooms.
“It’s actually on the college goals,” said Superintendent/ President Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson. “We currently have a group looking at increasing the number of gender-inclusive restrooms that we have on campus. So currently they are doing an inventory of all restrooms for restroom safety and then we will increase the number that we have.”
With a potential increase in more gender-neutral restrooms in the upcoming future for Delta, administration sees the importance of having these restrooms on campus since there are issues coming from students, faculty and staff, and the public, Lawrenson also noted.
In addition, having these restrooms available on campus limits the walking our guests, staff and faculty, and students endure when they are in far away buildings like DeRicco and the Math and Science Building.
“It [gender-neutral restrooms] allows employees, students, and guests to use facilities safely and comfortably. It’s important for parents who need to assist their child that may be a different gender, people who may require assistance from a caregiver of a different gender, and for people who are transgender and/or non-binary,” said Maldonado.
Having gender-neutral restrooms on campus also creates a safe place for transgender students to use the restroom without experiencing harassment in a same-sex restroom.
“We’re trying to create a safe environment, particularly for our transgender students to make sure that they have a safe place they can go,” said Lawrenson.
“This is part of our strategic plan in terms of equity and inclusion and creating a safe campus climate,” said Lawrenson. “And I have heard from some of our student advocates on campus and also faculty and staff about concerns over this issue and this is how we’re addressing it.”
Delta’s plans for more restrooms on campus are soon to come.
“I’m hoping we can come together and move toward the next steps to create more all-gender restrooms on campus,” said Maldonado.
The locations of the gender-neutral restrooms are on the first and fourth floors of Shima, two in Danner Hall, and two in the forum building. There are also two gender-neutral restrooms on the Mountain House campus.
For a map of the restrooms, you can visit Delta Pride on the Delta College website.