Odd
University introduces degendered toilets
Published Tuesday, Sep 30 2008, 12:06 BST | By Alex Fletcher
Manchester University has introduced "degendered" toilets to help tackle transphobia.
Signs in the student union have replaced 'ladies' and 'gents' with 'toilets' and 'toilets with urinals'.
The change was implemented by the union's welfare office, who said that there had been a number of complaints.
It is not known how many transsexual or transgender students are among the 35,000 currently studying at the university.
"If you were born female, still present quite feminine, but define as a man you should be able to go into the men's toilets - if that's how you define," women's officer Jennie Killip told the BBC.
"You don't necessarily have had to have gender reassignment surgery, but you could just define yourself as a man, feel very masculine in yourself, feel that in fact being a woman is not who you are."
Student newspaper Student Direct criticised the move, describing it as "political correctness gone mad".
Signs in the student union have replaced 'ladies' and 'gents' with 'toilets' and 'toilets with urinals'.
The change was implemented by the union's welfare office, who said that there had been a number of complaints.
It is not known how many transsexual or transgender students are among the 35,000 currently studying at the university.
"If you were born female, still present quite feminine, but define as a man you should be able to go into the men's toilets - if that's how you define," women's officer Jennie Killip told the BBC.
"You don't necessarily have had to have gender reassignment surgery, but you could just define yourself as a man, feel very masculine in yourself, feel that in fact being a woman is not who you are."
Student newspaper Student Direct criticised the move, describing it as "political correctness gone mad".
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