The Dower Power Hour

Yes, Gonzales finally resigned. But more importantly, the University of Vermont has installed a gender-neutral bathroom for its transgender and handicapped students. (No, this isn’t meant to imply that being transgendered is a handicap, although I am sure it does make life more complicated.)  “At least 17 colleges and universities have included gender-neutral bathrooms in their new construction or in retrofitting residence halls.” Apparently transgender students are often the subject to verbal and even physical abuse in normal restrooms where their physical differences are met with discomfort and antagonism.

I have two questions:

1.) How many people constitutes a large enough minority to warrant thousands of dollars in construction? Is this a policy that should be pursued elsewhere or is this a waste of student’s tuition to accommodate a handful of individuals special needs? The four single bathrooms that UVM is installing — each with a toilet, sink, shower and lockable door — cost about $2,500 a piece to build.

2.) Will this actually help make transgender students avoid ridicule? My fear is that segregating these individuals might make them stand out negatively and subject them to more targeted attacks in the future. On the other hand, having never had an in-depth conversation with a transgendered individual, maybe a little bit of recognition is a good thing and would help people recognize their differences and stop pretending that this isn’t an issue.

What do ya’ll think?