Transgender Rights to use Public Bathrooms
Micro Design Intervention -- 3 of 5
Having had discussions at work with colleagues about the importance of having safe spaces for transgender individuals, it dawned on me how there is a sense of unfamiliarity. At Recreation we have hosted safe swim nights because of the entanglement of people wanting to be themselves in public, but needing to separate space from themselves from the public at large in vulnerable moments.
The fact this was a conversation at work, in a university setting, that someone “just doesn’t get why there need’s to be a specific area for transgender people to go to the bathroom” sparked an idea: Perhaps, like in the perception of wayfinding, someone can only understand empathy when they are in the same moment of vulnerability, and inspired to consider that moment as the reality of someone else of a different circumstance. Maybe then, the experience would have transference for those unable to achieve the understanding on their own.
This idea created parallel between wanting people to go through this exercise, while not antagonising people who understand this experience. I came up with a design I believe endorses people who currently understand, while visibly proposing the idea of the thought exercise. With use of hierarchy, the sign reads “Transgender rights don’t stop behind closed doors”, emphasizing that behind closed stalls, and behind closed bathroom doors people have the right to be treated with respect. As we know, policies and confrontations exist where that is not the reality. The parallel is introduced by splitting up the posted into two zones. The left, an endorsement to keep on keepin on, “Don’t hesitate to be yourself”; the right, the thought exercise, “Stop. What if your right to use this bathroom were questioned?”
Image 1. Transgender Rights poster.
It would have been more impactful to use the same hashtag as another design, attempting to bring inclusiveness to the minds of the MRU community (#inclusiveMRU).
The hashtag on the poster reads “#dontstopMRU”, which is stand alone. Though nobody has responded, at least on instagram, with this hashtag. I am unable to see the impact of this project beyond having conversations with classmates.
Image 2. Poster in women’s bathroom in W wing.
Image 3. Poster in men’s bathroom in Upper floor, Main St.
Image 4. Poster in men’s bathroom in W wing.
There were a total of 8 bathrooms where these posters have been displayed. First, by a female classmate last week, and then by myself. I waited until midnight the same night the posters were put up.
When I checked the women’s washrooms where I knew the posters were placed they had been taken down. This was at the same time custodial staff had finished their rounds in the area, so it is likely the exercise was too short lived to spark a response, beyond the bathroom goer’s while the posters were present.
This micro design intervention was paired with a sister intervention, specifically targeting the installation of Gender Neutral signs at MRU. This was part of the discussion at my work place, at MRU, to create a safe space, leading to an inclusive environment on campus. This sister intervention will explore the response to that component of the project.