I should preface this by stating that I find gender segregation of any kind to be as offensive as racial segregation. Gender, just like race, is a purely artificial social construct with no basis in science (remember, gender does not equal sex), and critically enough, IS NOT BINARY. There are not just 2 genders - there are a great many people who fall somewhere on the gender continuum that is not man or woman. Where are those of us who aren't simply 'man' or 'woman' supposed to go?? And why the hell should we have to choose in the first place?? I won't go into the additional practical issues of why I think gender-neutral bathrooms are better, particularly in a dorm setting (and don't get me started on the fact that most other schools I've been to use gender-neutral bathrooms but somehow that's just too damned scary for UMass...). Anyways, when I saw that this was included in the "safety poster" packet I got as an RA, I flipped out. If you want to discuss it as a social comfort and norms issue, fine, but don't confuse matters by trying to tie segregation to safety. It's bad enough that I am expected to enforce this offensive policy as my job...
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Ironically, Lehigh seems to be more progressive in this respect. We're launching a section of gender neutral housing next year.
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