Responding to student requests, Point Loma High School became the third high school in the San Diego Unified School District to designate a campus student restroom as gender neutral.
A small ceremony was held outside the restroom last week, located in Building 900, the Motion Picture/Music Center on campus. It is both a short distance and visible from the school’s main quad.
“This project took some time to complete and I felt it was important to dedicate it before the seniors who worked to make it happen graduated,” said principal Hans Becker. “The only thing missing was the new sign for the door,” which Becker was checking as the ceremony began.
But that didn’t dampen the spirits of about 30 students who showed up for the brief dedication and ribbon-cutting followed by a chocolate sheet cake that read “Congratulations.”
The facility was a former female staff restroom with a single stall toilet, sink, mirror and locking door. It will now be available for any student on campus who chooses to use it.
Members of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), an on-campus club, were the primary boosters of the newly-christened amenity.
“The GSA just started last year during my junior year,” said Annika (Nik) Crittenden, co-president of the club. “We only had about five students attend each week, so this year at the start of my senior year, I was determined to get the word out and make it a greater resource for students of all identities.”
Crittenden, who says she is “gender neutral or gender non-conforming,” recalls she and many friends had difficulty finding a campus restroom they could use comfortably. She met with Becker several months ago “to plant the seed for something better.
“I knew Mr. Becker had a lot on his plate, but he said, ‘Let’s do this!’ so that was really helpful.”