Several weeks into the 2016 fall semester, students and faculty at Baruch College noticed new signs outside the bathrooms on campus. They read, “Under the Law, all individuals have the right to use this restroom consistent with their gender identity or expression,”

This signage created a safe space for the LGBTQ community at Baruch in the college’s public restrooms. It was the first step to comply with a new city law and to meet the demands of the campus LGBT community, which has been pushing for changes for the last three years. The new signage allows all students to use any bathroom that pertains to their gender identity.

Risa Colander, a sophomore at Baruch, said having a safe space to utilize facilities was important to trans, straight or bisexual students. “Whether you identify as male or female or gender queer, as long as you feel that you have a safe space to use the bathroom like anyone else.”

Baruch’s posts of the signs was in response to an executive order signed by Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio the order makes it mandatory for public bathrooms and city owned building to be gender-neutral.

Even before the executive order was signed, Baruchs LGBTQ students supported by G.L.A.S.S. had been lobbying the administration bored for these changes.

“Gender- neutral bathrooms are necessary because, in college’s and different public spaces, they need to create a space that everyone feels comfortable enough to be in. Where everyone feels that they have time to be alone and have privacy no matter what they identify with, they just need that space,” said TeaMaré Gaston, an LGBTQ student at Baruch.

Gabe Roman, the president of G.L.A.S.S., said the city’s new law gave Baruch the impetus to make changes that the LGBTQ community had already been fighting for.

“We put together literature, we tabled, created a petition, held events, and we educated the masses on what gender-neutral bathrooms are.” Roman said.

“Case for Gender Neutral Bathrooms at Baruch College”

Jessica Horowitz, a junior at Baruch, said having gender-neutral bathrooms on campus was important to her and other members of the college’s LGBTQ community. ” Gender-Neutral Bathrooms mean a safe place where everyone can just do their business and get on with their day without having to worry about what other people think or having to worry about being assaulted or being looked at weird,” Horowitz said.

Roman praised the college administration for also finding $1 million in funds to create new separate specific gender-neutral bathrooms. That is still to be constructed.

“Baruch really showed up for the LGBTQ+ Community when it came to funding.” Roman said, “They were able to lobby for $1 million dollars for the creation of the bathrooms.”

Under that circumstance as well as the passing of The Executive Order the journey continued.

When asked Kieran Marrow, Baruch’s Chief Diversity Officer, and ADA Coordinator at Baruch College when the new construction of Gender-Neutral Bathroom in Baruch will start, she replied that she “will get back with a date as soon as possible.”

CUNY schools such as Hunter College, Brooklyn College and John Jay College have also taken action to make their campuses a safe and equal space for their LGBT students; John Jay has already constructed and installed three separate gender-neutral bathrooms in their campus.

When asking President of G.LA.S.S. Gabe Roman if other University in Manhattan will follow in their footsteps. Roman said that with all things considered.

“I am almost certain that all colleges in Manhattan will follow soon. They will at least have the signs above gendered bathrooms that say that anyone has the right to use the bathroom of their choice. After recent political happenings, we have seen protests in Manhattan, all on the side of radical acceptance and progressiveness. A large percentage of the people that are out there speaking their minds are students. They bring this progressive energy back into their colleges, and the administrations need to listen to their voices. ”