Council pass motion requiring gender neutral bathrooms at Trinity Ents events

TCDSU LGBT Rights Officer Niko Singband said that passing the motion was the “bare minimum” that could be done by Council.

Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) Council has passed a motion mandating that all events organised Trinity Ents must have a gender neutral bathroom available.

The motion also mandates that the TCDSU President “work with College to ensure that fully accessible gender neutral bathrooms, with sanitary facilities, are available in every building in College”.

Proposing the motion at Council, TCDSU LGBT Rights Officer Niko Singband said that passing the motion was the “bare minimum” that could be done by Council.

“People do not use bathrooms in spaces where they do ot feel safe using the bathroom,” Singband continued.

They added that it was “ridiculous” that transgender people not be able to do “the simplest thing” such as use the bathroom.

The motion, which originally mandated that gender neutral bathrooms be made available “where possible”, was amended at the suggestion of Gender Equality Officer Jenny Maguire on the grounds that this provided an “easy out” for Ents Officers.

Speaking to Trinity News before Council, Niko Singband said that “working towards more gender neutral bathrooms and improving access to gender neutral bathrooms is incredibly important”.

The motion highlighted the significance of gender neutral bathrooms in making students of all gender identities feel accepted, noting that such facilities are not available at all Trinity Ents venues: “For trans and non-binary people, [gender neutral bathrooms] are massively important as they provide a safe and comfortable environment.”

“Not having to choose a bathroom relieves anxiety around making others in a bathroom uncomfortable or worrying about being harassed.”

“Gender neutral bathrooms also serve to signal that a community cares about supporting trans rights, and I would like to make sure that Trinity is in fact an environment that supports trans students,” Singband continued. 

Gender neutral bathrooms are a simple and easy starting place for the college to better support trans students.”

The motion was brought to the top of the Council by a procedural motion made by Singband. It was originally submitted to Council in November, but was not voted on until this evening due to meetings failing to reach quorum and time limits on previous meetings.

Kate Henshaw

Kate Henshaw is current Editor-in-Chief of Trinity News, and a graduate of Sociology and Social Policy. She previously served as Deputy Editor, News Editor and Assistant News Editor.