Dear Administrators and Staff at Vanderbilt University,

The Vanderbilt Lambda Association Activism Committee writes the following petition for more, and more accessible, all-gender restrooms in academic buildings on campus at Vanderbilt University. While many newer buildings, and a few older buildings, have at least one all-gender restroom, many of them are ADA inaccessible or are an inconvenience to use due to its location. Many transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) students and others are uncomfortable in traditional gendered restrooms. And the limited number of all-gender restrooms is a major problem for many of these students.

Vanderbilt University’s Student Handbook delineates an anti-discrimination policy in Chapter 8, Section 2: Offenses and Definitions. It reads as follows: “The following conduct is prohibited: Discrimination refers to the disparate treatment of a person or group because of that person’s or group’s membership in one or more protected classes, as outlined in the University’s nondiscrimination policy, including race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service, covered veterans status, or genetic information. This policy also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that any person is a member of any of the foregoing protected classes or is associated with a person who has, or is perceived as having, membership in one or more of those protected classes. In determining whether discrimination occurred, EOA examines whether there was an adverse impact on the individual’s work or education environment and whether individuals outside of the protected class received more favorable treatment. If there was an adverse impact on the individual’s work or education environment, EOA considers whether there is a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the action.” As we will soon show, Vanderbilt University clearly treats TGNC students as a lower class than cisgender students when it comes to restroom availability, adversely impacting their ability to participate in classes. Therefore, Vanderbilt University has violated and continues to violate its own discrimination policy and needs to rectify this mistake immediately.

At https://www.vanderbilt.edu/lgbtqi/all-gender-bathrooms there is a master list of every all-gender restroom in each building on campus. The Lambda Activism Committee is focusing in on the academic buildings. Some buildings, specifically Benson, Kissam, Stevenson 3, Stevenson 4, Stevenson 5, the Studio Arts Center, and Wilson, are absent from the list because there are no all-gender restrooms in these buildings. If a student feels the need for one, they must find another building to relieve themselves or deny their personhood by using a restroom that does not align with their gender identity. This is a major issue, because it can interfere with class time and studying; for Wilson Hall in particular, the nearest all-gender restroom is in the basement of Furman. If you are an able-bodied cisgender student in Wilson, you spend less than 2 minutes walking from your classroom to the restroom and back. If you are an able-bodied TGNC student, you spend 7 minutes. This number only increases for TGNC students with limited mobility. To get the same quality of instruction that other students are afforded, TGNC students in Wilson Hall are forced to use men's or women's restrooms only, which can lead to discomfort at best or harassment/assault at worst. Also, some buildings on the list do have an all-gender restroom, but it is inadequate. Buildings like 6 Magnolia Circle, Buttrick, Calhoun, Furman, Garland, and Payne have an all-gender restroom, but it is in the basement, which is a somewhat long trek from some of the classrooms and study areas. This still poses a major inconvenience and indicates to TGNC students that their needs are less important in the eyes of the university than those of other students. Other buildings have all-gender restrooms, but some or all of them are not ADA accessible. These buildings include Calhoun, Central Library, Stevenson 1, Mayborn, Music Rehearsal Hall, and Peabody Library. Inaccessible all-gender restrooms create a barrier for TGNC students with limited mobility. Calhoun Hall in particular is a major issue, due to the fact that it only has inaccessible all-gender restrooms in the basement. These restrooms are the only available bathrooms in that building for TGNC students, but they remain tucked away and inaccessible for those with limited mobility.

The Lambda Activism Committee demands that Vanderbilt University take action to respect the basic needs of transgender and other gender non-conforming students. There are various things Vanderbilt University can do to create a more inclusive environment for these students. In buildings where there are no all-gender restrooms, we strongly encourage the administration to use any method necessary to create at least one in every single academic building on campus. Some options include: 1) building new restrooms, 2) renovating existing restrooms, and/or 3) re-labeling and repurposing existing restrooms. We recognize that having at least one all-gender restroom in each academic building is only the bare minimum and that TGNC students deserve better. So, we strongly encourage the administration to add more all-gender restrooms to buildings with only one option, or whose only options are tucked away in basements and obscure hallways. We also ask that there be a move to make all current and future all-gender restrooms ADA accessible. This is the next step of inclusion for the LGBTQI+ Community because it promotes intersectionality within the disabled community. Some things to keep in mind are 1) including a 60” x 60’’ stall with a minimum 32” door, 2) ensuring the ability to arrive at the restroom without the use of stairs, 3) adequate privacy, and other features necessary to provide for the needs of students.

A great model for all-gender restrooms can be found in the Black Cultural Center. Their first-floor restrooms contain multiple stalls with maximum privacy and other precautions to ensure the safety of students. The Lambda Association Activism Committee applauds the Black Cultural Center’s initiative, and suggests their lead as an example for the rest of the University.

Thank you for your time. The Vanderbilt Lambda Association works to protect and advocate for members of the LGBTQ+ community and the intersectionalities of various identities in the Vanderbilt Community. We hope that Vanderbilt University’s devotion to diversity and inclusion will encourage the administration to act upon our requests to better support its transgender and gender-nonconforming students. The fact that some students of certain populations are unable to use the restroom because of a lack of availability and accessibility is, by the university’s own definition, discrimination, and it is unacceptable. Improving the all-gender restroom availability on campus will benefit everybody in the Vanderbilt community who uses them by affirming their gender identity and providing safety, security, and privacy.

Best Regards,

The Vanderbilt Lambda Association Activism Committee