MUNCIE, Ind. (NewsLink) -- One student on Ball State University’s campus created a petition to add more gender inclusive restrooms on campus. Hayden Blann is the student who started the petition.
“I personally had an issue finding gender inclusive restrooms on campus,” Blann said.
When he asked professors where those restrooms were on campus, they did not know any locations nor the number of inclusive restrooms on campus. This is what sparked his petition.
“I asked one of my professors at the beginning of the year if there was a gender inclusive bathroom I could use and a lot of the professors didn’t know if the buildings had one,” Blann said.
After discovering there were only a handful of gender inclusive restrooms on campus, he started to work with organizations to bring awareness and get the word out.
Yet, the additions began when a new requirement came to Ball State while construction for new buildings began.
“Since 2018, it has been required that all new buildings have gender inclusive bathrooms before the plans get approved,” Associate Director of the Office of Inclusive Excellence, Brandon Million, said.
The older buildings that do not have these additions have to go through a retrograde process where a longer start time can occur.
After hearing about the petition, Million said that the student action is good for them to get their voices out, but if they want to talk to the office, they can.
“They have to feel like they have to have all of these voices to get their voice across,” Million said. “We’re happy to talk to you even if it is a one person concern.”
With the petition just starting, Blann and the Office of Inclusive Excellence understand that this process will take time.
“I know that it's probably going to be a long process, because it does affect a large population of students on campus and this is a struggle they face everyday,” Blann said.
For comments or concerns regarding this story, contact alchalker@bsu.edu
