Wits introduce gender-neutral bathrooms

This month Wits announced they would be opening a handful of gender-neutral bathrooms around campus.

Gender-neutral bathrooms benefit transgender populations and other people who exist outside of the gender binary; people with disabilities, the elderly, and anyone else who may require the assistance of someone of another gender.

According to deputy vice-chancellor Tawana Kupe the aim is for the academy to be a trans-formative and critically engaging space that is in line with the Constitution and guiding principles of democracy.

“We have responded to calls for the university to introduce gender-neutral bathrooms that are inclusive of all members of the community who are Transgender, non-conforming or not comfortable with entering a bathroom that identifies with the gender that they were assigned at birth,” he said.

Kupe also added that gender-neutral bathrooms make a meaningful contribution to the university’s transformation agenda and that shared facilities, inclusive of all members of the university community, are one of the ways in which they can embrace diversity across gender lines.

“We are grateful to all those staff and students who have enabled this process, as well as the Wits Transformation and Employment Equity Office,” said Kupe.

Pura Mgolombane, the manager of diversity, ethics and social justice at the Wits Transformation Office, says the gender-neutral bathrooms are a victory for social justice.

He added that these gender neutral bathrooms are as crucial as air and are a symbol of humanity and human dignity for the transgender students, staff and the general public who are gender non-conforming.

“Most importantly, these gender-neutral bathrooms recognises the true diversity of our society and further affirms the humanity of the transgender and gender non-conforming community. In the end, these gender neutral bathrooms [enable] Wits to be a truly inclusive space.”

Key bathrooms across the varsity campuses have been identified as gender-neutral bathrooms and the signage for these bathrooms will be changed soon.

Trans activist, Germaine de Larch has lauded Wits for taking this step. “It is the first university in SA to make this groundbreaking change on the back of years of hard work by Wits trans activists,” he said.

“In the context of the North Carolina Bathroom Bill which set off a spate of hateful and ignorant policing of which bathroom trans people use, this is an exciting and empowering step for South Africa’s trans community. And within an institution of learning such as Wits, it teaches the next generation about trans rights, which are basic human rights – as basic as enabling us to use the bathroom. The bathroom is a scary prospect for any trans person, as it is the one place that opens us up to scrutiny, discrimination and violence.”