Two blue circles. One with a white stick figure with pants, indicating “male”, and the other with a white stick figure with a skirt, indicating “female”. Students have begun to demonstrate interest in having gender neutral bathrooms on campus.

With rising concern on gender discrimination, Governor Jerry Brown signed bill AB 1266, which gives students permission to use bathrooms based on their gender self-identification. However, this bill has received much opposition, including concern that some students will abuse this change.

To resolve the issue, sophomores Alexandra Shoptaugh, B.D. Schwartz, and Alex Rickard lead the campaign for gender neutral bathrooms.

“There are many people at our school who feel uncomfortable with our current bathroom situation, and I think it is a good time to address that,” Shoptaugh said.

Shoptaugh said that the lack of gender neutral bathrooms has put transgender students into awkward situations, which leads to negative psychological consequences.

A study published by the Williams Institute found that 18 percent of transgender and gender nonconforming people were denied access to a restroom, and that 58 percent avoid going out in public due to bathroom concerns.

“It feels ridiculous to tell people as a grown person that you have trouble going to the bathroom,” thirty-year old transgender art student Shana Agid said in a New York Times article.