To the editor:

Kansas University has already implemented gender-neutral restrooms for university students. KU has been remarkably helpful in providing accommodations for its LGBT students and should be seen as a model for all other public universities.

Access to gender-neutral bathrooms on college campuses should be required at every public university in the country. Although it should be a given right for all transgender persons to use any public restroom based on the gender they identify with, forcing society to be accepting of all transgender individuals is impossible. The first step in creating a better quality of life for transgender individuals is allowing college students access to gender-neutral bathrooms if ever they feel uncomfortable or unsafe using a single-gender bathroom.

Education over transgender issues is relatively new. More and more transgender individuals have come out of hiding because western society has been more accepting of transgender individuals than it was 30 years ago. However, many transgender individuals continue to feel unsafe in their work or school environments, and their biological needs such as using the bathroom have been ignored out of fear of physical or verbal harm.

In a study by the Williams Institute, 70 percent of transgender individuals have experienced some sort of negative reaction when using a public restroom; 68 percent were told they were in the wrong facility and needed to leave, were ridiculed or verbally threatened. Some even had the police called on them.

Like everyone else, transgender persons deserve to use restrooms with assurances of their safety and dignity.