Universities in Nijmegen, Leiden and Amsterdam already have bathrooms without a pictogram of a ‘man’ or ‘woman’ on the door. If it were up to Erasmus Pride, gender-neutral bathrooms would be available at Erasmus University as soon as possible, says psychology student and committee member Thei Bongers.
“Some members of Erasmus Pride are transgender”, says Bongers. “They’ve spoken about situations where they feel uncomfortable in choosing which bathroom they should use. For example, someone who is undergoing hormone treatment but still has a masculine appearance doesn’t feel comfortable using either bathroom. It would be much better if the bathroom was a safe space for them, a place where they won’t be judged by others using the facilities.”
Bathrooms for the disabled
Erasmus Pride ultimately wants to have a gender-neutral bathroom in every campus building. According to Bongers, no renovation work or structural alterations are needed. “All you need is a sticker. Our university should be able to afford that, right?” Other universities use bathroom facilities for the disabled as gender-neutral bathrooms. Erasmus Pride feels this is a good idea. “These are actually already gender-neutral bathrooms. A good first step would be to designate all bathrooms for the disabled as gender-neutral bathrooms.”
Gesture of acceptance
Bongers thinks that only a small group of people will use the gender-neutral bathrooms. He estimates that “altogether, transgender and intersex individuals make up only a small percentage of the student population.” He then adds: “but it doesn’t matter that these facilities are for a minority. It’s about having a place where you can use bathroom facilities without being judged. Making this possible is also a gesture of acceptance.”
According to EUR spokesperson Jacco Neleman, the university has no plans gender-neutral toilets at the moment. “We haven’t received a lot of sounds about a broad need for gender-neutral toilets. If that changes, we will, of course, respond.”
I am shocked by the comments above. Solidarity with minorities seems to be a foreign concept in the Netherlands.
Solidarity doesn’t mean going along with the request of ideologues. This is a fake problem from the start. Why “fear of being judged” is not considered as what it actually is, a private and possibly transient feeling, not a social problem? What is the specific connection with gender dysphoria? If someone fears he will be judged by using a normal toilet, why wouldn’t he fear being judged when going into a new type of toilet which would put him on the spotlight?
If other minorities were confined to special toilets there would be, quite rightly, an outrage, but the aim of these people is not to cater to trans minorities. Is to habituate people to their theory of social contructed gender, which says that gender differences are only determined by social pressures, and that most of biology is a lie (look for videos or info about social justice warriors if you want to know more about this). This is a theory not even most of trans people believe: they want to be the other gender, not state they aren’t part of any, they feel they are in the wrong BODY.
Of course when you point out that these policies are illogical and wouldn’t solve any problem at all, they will respond by attacking you personally, saying that you are transphobic or that you don’t want to respect these people, or that you are an oppressor.
Well I’m not falling for it. May the trans Pride members be filled with genuine strenght and confidence, and best wishes of a successful University life.
I hope in the Netherlands, this debate about trans issues can generate sensible solutions. Ive been dealing with transgenderism internationally online for a few years now. These activists are insane and use their politics to attack everyone that doesnt agree with them and use the toilet issue as way to affirm their own gender identity at the expense of women only spaces and rights. I really hope the Dutch trans activists are sensible. Then they can have my support. We need solutions that can work for everyone. And to Norwegian, gender dysphoria isnt even needed anymore to be trans. Anyone can now claim to be trans by just saying so. You dont need a diagnosis. I know about the SJW’s you talk about, they are horrendous. Ive come to conclude the international transmovement doesnt want real equality, it wants domination over everyone. This is where they fail. It creates resistance in people who would otherwise support trans people.
Im completely ok to give transgenders their own toilet.
I’m a minority myself but you don’t see me asking for Muslim-only washing places. That would be stupid. Instead I make the best out of available facilities such as the toilets for handicapped. If I used the regular toilets for my ritual washing, I would feel uncomfortable, so I do get why this request is made. But still you can imagine other ways to be better to solve this issue.
I think it would be good for you to distinguish between ‘solidarity’ and ‘giving into every dictate’. Solidarity does not mean spending public resources because of the unprecedented demands that are made on society by what is barely 0.3% of the population (and these activists constituting a smaller portion even of that). These are resources that can be better spent, even if comfort be the goal.
I will also disapprovingly note that you are attacking Dutch people, simply for having a different point of view from you. Isn’t that a little bit… racist, or is it alright when it is directed against some people?
Foreigners? Dear God, we’ve been compromised!
Comments are closed.