North Dakota State’s campus and staff are continually evolving to fit the students’ needs.

As part of this, the Wallman Wellness Center is adding an aquatic center, with a new addition. The new aquatic center will have two swimming pools, a hot tub, a wet classroom and male and female locker rooms.

However, unlike the current Wellness Center, this $11 million aquatic addition will have three gender-neutral locker rooms.

“We need more spaces like these on campus as in recent years. Here at NDSU we have seen an increasing number of transgender students who wish to be active and fully participate in college life,” says director of diversity initiatives and coordinator of LGBTQ programs Kara Gravley-Stack.

Gender-neutral bathrooms on campus show NDSU’s deviance from the traditional binary, a binary that separates on the assumption that there is only man and woman, boy and girl, masculine and feminine.

The new aquatic center is “creating a safe and inclusive space for all members of our campus community,” says Gravley-Stack.

It is true that talking about bathrooms is usually not the go-to topic of conversation for students, but it should be. Having a restroom and especially a locker room is something many take for granted. It is a basic need that should be made accessible for all.

Addressing this issue head on can help prevent the numerous negative experiences transgender students face at school.

Everyone benefits from gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms. It provides a safe restroom and changing place for those who do not feel they fit in the traditional male and female binary roles. The aquatic center’s gender-neutral locker rooms are not just for transgender students. They are open for all whether it is parents or caregivers who have children with them or a woman breast-feeding. There are many conditions people experience in which they need privacy, and gender-neutral locker rooms provide that.

The opportunity to use a gender-neutral bathroom or locker room is a right. No one should be forced or pressured into using a specific bathroom.

The gender-neutral locker rooms in the aquatic center will be no different than a single occupancy locker room.

These locker rooms are an important step for NDSU in growing our safe campus and welcoming staff and students.