Rocky Mountain High School is known for its inclusivity. There are people of different ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and backgrounds. Additionally, there are many inclusive clubs like GSA, Black Student Union, American Sign Language Club, Connections Club, and Cultural ARMS Club. So why are there only a few gender neutral bathrooms in the school and why aren’t they in the most accessible places?

Of all of the bathrooms in Rocky, there are only six gender neutral bathrooms, and two of them require codes to enter. For the average trans student who may not have the passcode, the only gender neutral option they have is the two bathrooms by the gym, one near the library, and the two bathrooms in the band hallway. These bathrooms are highly inaccessible, because not only are they in an inconvenient location that many classrooms are far away from, but half the time the bathrooms are closed off. Each student gets five minutes with each pass, which seems like enough time to go to the bathroom and back without missing much class, however, the locations of the gender neutral bathrooms can be hard to get to and use the bathroom in the five minutes you have. Many trans students feel unsafe in gendered bathrooms, whether it be the bathroom of their assigned gender at birth or the gender they identify as.

In 2024, Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary person, living in Owasso, Oklahoma, died from suicide. On February 7, 2024, while using a gendered bathroom at Owasso High School, they were violently assaulted until they were unconscious. They were taken to a hospital and the next day they were found dead. This tragic event happened only a year ago. While as a society we are becoming more accepting, there are still many places where being transgender is dangerous. Rocky, while being an accepting school, still has room to improve to prevent further tragedies. Transgender people feel unsafe in gendered bathrooms because violence against trans people still occurs. It is a school’s duty to keep their students safe and secure, and without bathrooms for everyone, that safety is compromised.

Everyone benefits from the privacy that a gender neutral single person bathroom provides. In addition to safety, it’s just good practice to provide this option for students.

Gender neutral bathrooms are not perfect, as students might do inappropriate things in the bathrooms, but that is a risk that any bathroom will have. The students inappropriately using the gender neutral bathrooms should face consequences and not the people who need the bathrooms. Whether it be for safety, more accessible toilets, or general anxiety towards multi-stall gendered bathrooms, people who need the gender neutral bathrooms should be able to use them.

Unfortunately, schools do not have a lot of money, and with the current administration, school funding has been cut, making the financial situation surrounding schools even worse. Even if only two more gender neutral bathrooms were added, it could greatly improve the mental health of trans students specifically. The bathrooms should be in easily accessible places that are close to many classrooms so students have enough time to use the bathroom and get back to class on time. School is for everyone, and that means everyone should feel safe.