Written by Aeryn McMurtry
Over the summer, Roanoke College made a few changes to some of its public buildings. The Colket Center got new TVs, Allegheny Hall was renamed Beamer Hall after former RC professor Billie Jean Beamer who retired in 1997, and new “All Gender” signs appeared on bathrooms campus-wide.
As someone who is not transgender, (i.e. cisgender) this change has almost no effect on me. But I think that that is one of the most important aspects of the change. It hurts nobody and helps an entire group of people without making it a big deal. Really, the only thing that this change does do is allow closeted or questioning students to use a bathroom that feels 100% neutral to them. Nobody has to use a bathroom that ostracizes them. I knew transgender people in high school that would go all day without using the bathroom so that nobody would judge them and they wouldn’t be forced to make themselves uncomfortable.
If I had not been told by somebody that New Hall has an all gender bathroom, I probably wouldn’t even have noticed it. And that’s important. We live in a social climate that publicly shames and punishes people for their “differences”, and the way that Roanoke College chose to just make it happen instead of making a big announcement normalizes the experience. And I’m sure that most of the cisgender people on campus wouldn’t notice unless it was pointed out. But that’s the point.
That’s not to say that they couldn’t do more. For instance, all of the inclusive bathrooms are only one stall and do not include a shower. They are strictly in the public areas of the buildings like lobbies, and they are only in the newest or most public buildings on campus. If I could ask for one change, it would be to include at least one bathroom in every building owned or associated with Roanoke College. Accepting all students means accepting all students regardless of how it makes you look. Do it because it’s right, not because you get brownie points.
At Convocation, we listen to a speech about how Roanoke was at the forefront of social controversy after the Civil War. Dr. Morehead did what he needed to and stood up for what he felt was right. I would like to see the current administration do the same. These are small but important steps. I know that change does not happen overnight or even over a summer, but I urge the decision makers of Roanoke College to please, keep going. We’ve made a small step. The road is paved, keep stepping.
