The Richmond campus of Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) has installed three “gender-inclusive” washrooms in a bid to be more accommodating to trans-gendered and gender-non-conforming students and staff.
A total of nine men’s and women’s washrooms in high-traffic areas were installed across KPU’s four campuses in Cloverdale, Surrey, Langley and Richmond.
The washrooms were identified for conversion to gender-inclusive, wheelchair-accessible facilities, which involved replacing signage, modifying sink and counter heights and adding grab bars, shelves and hooks.
Seven washrooms are single-stall private facilities; two have multiple stalls.
“KPU has a long history of being a proudly open-access institution, and this is an extension of that philosophy, that commitment and that pledge,” said Dr. Alan Davis, president and vice-chancellor of KPU.
The need for gender-inclusive washrooms was identified by the president’s diversity and equity committee, which was formed in 2012 with support from the student group Pride Kwantlen and the recommendations of an internal strategic planning initiative.
“Everyone deserves a comfortable, accessible public washroom facility,” said Dr. Diane Naugler, director of the president’s diversity and equity committee at KPU and associate dean in the Faculty of Arts.
“I’m proud of our committee and how the university is creating a gender-inclusive environment.”
