Washrooms Across the GTA Are Starting to Ditch Gender Designations

A growing number of progressive organizations are jumping on the gender-neutral bathroom bandwagon.

Back in March, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) announced gender-neutral bathrooms and other prominent Greater Toronto Area (GTA) organizations are beginning to follow suit.

Addressing thousands of staff at his annual kick-off to the school year, Peel Region School Board director Tony Pontes announced that every public high school in Peel Region will have an all-gender washroom this school year.

He said that the school board must make all students feel safe.

Image: www.northernlight.org

Image: www.northernlight.org

“Bottom line — it is not our role to ask why someone self-identifies, it is not about our personal beliefs and what bathroom they choose is not our business. Our job is that when they do identify, we make sure they have a place of safety — just as we do for every other student,” said Pontes.

Pontes said he’s “proud to say that within this school year, every secondary school will have a designated bathroom for students,” complete with a sign that says “inclusive washroom.”

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) also installed gender-neutral bathrooms this year with signs that read, “We Don’t Care.”

Image: Huffingtonpost.ca

Image: Huffingtonpost.ca

The CNE’s single-occupancy mobile WCs are even marked with a half-man, half-woman version of the classic public washroom pictograms.

Making the change didn’t come cheap, either. According to The Toronto Star, the CNE spent about $250,000 on the units, which they hope to rent out throughout the year to other events.

Back in February, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) said that all-gender bathrooms are coming to more schools across the GTA.

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