For the thousands of students who pass through the doors of the Student Recreation Center every day, showering after a workout is probably not a big deal. But for some students, the idea of showering in gender-specific locker rooms with very little privacy is daunting enough to keep them away from the center entirely.
Many of us have memories from high school P.E. class of how nerve-racking locker rooms and showers can be. For some, the prospect of undressing or showering in front of others is much more worrisome.
Other students may avoid the rec center because they need assistance from someone of another gender or because they would want to bring children who are too young to take into a public locker room.
Hopefully, a new addition to the rec center will help these and any other concerns students may have with using regular locker rooms.
The decision to add a gender-neutral locker room and shower facility is a step in the right direction of helping make the facility more comfortable and accessible for everyone.
There are myriad reasons a person might feel uncomfortable in the regular locker rooms.
One problem the rec center staff hoped to address was providing a space for people with disabilities who need assistance changing and showering, sometimes from people of the opposite gender.
Another group the locker rooms might serve are families who bring children of the opposite gender to the rec center and prefer to have a private shower for the kids.
The facility may also serve transgendered students who do not feel comfortable in traditional locker rooms.
Although providing a facility for transgendered students was only one of many factors that went into the rec center’s decision, we feel it is one of the most important.
People who do not identify as the gender that matches their physical appearance may not feel safe undressing in gender-specific locker rooms because they may be taunted, make others uncomfortable or in a worst-case scenario, could face physical threats. While we hope the University is a place where all students can feel safe being themselves, it may not always be the case.
The privacy offered by the new facility will provide a space where students do not have to worry about whether their own identity matches what others see or expect. Every student has the right to feel secure when using University facilities; hopefully, students who avoided the rec center only because of fear of using gender-specific facilities will consider checking out the new locker room.
Time will tell how popular the new locker rooms are and what types of students use them the most. We applaud the decision to install them and we hope that everyone who wants to use them takes advantage. If they help just one person who otherwise would avoid the gym feel more comfortable coming to work out, they will make a difference.