Administration Drafts Inclusive Bathroom Policy
The faculty presented a new draft policy at Student Council on Dec. 18 that grants all individuals, regardless of gender, the right to use the bathrooms and locker rooms in which they feel most comfortable.
The draft further outlines the revised signage that will be posted on bathrooms and locker rooms. It includes an excerpt from the Vision Statement written by the Board of Trustees outlining the school’s goal of fostering diversity and cultivating the environment of inclusion required “to unlock the richness of that diversity.”
“This is the first time I’m hearing the school fully allowing the student to choose based on how they identify themselves, not on how they were identified when they applied,” Cobb said.
Janalie Cobb
According to Director of Equity and Inclusion Dr. Stephanie Bramlett, beginning in Summer 2017, the Gender Inclusion Steering Committee worked together with a Project Team to analyze discrepancies between the Trustees’ vision statement and the E-Book. Prior to the draft, the Academy did not have any policies addressing inclusivity in locker room and bathroom spaces.
According to LGBTQ+ Coordinator and Director of Student Activities Joanne Lembo, the two groups conducted additional research on these policies and their success at other schools, in addition to talking with PEA community members about the feasibility of these policies on our campus.
After drafting the policy, Assistant Principal Karen Lassey, Lembo and English Instructor Alex Myers held discussions with student leaders on campus. Student Council President and senior Elizabeth Yang, who met with Lassey alongside Student Council’s Executive Board, recalled that the conversation between administrators and students had revolved around “how we should move forward to involve student input.” Meanwhile, at Dean’s Council, students primarily contributed to the policy’s language and method of implementation, according to council member and upper Janalie Cobb.
Proponents of the draft soon brought it to Student Council as a whole. In the meeting on Dec. 18, members discussed the value of the proposal. Yang described the policy as “a natural extension of what students are actually living and valuing right now”the reason behind its support by most council members.
Cobb appreciated that the draft fully acknowledged students’ own agency. “This is the first time I’m hearing the school fully allowing the student to choose based on how they identify themselves, not on how they were identified when they applied,” Cobb said. She commended the policy for increasing transparency between the students and the faculty.
As the Exeter community approaches this policy, upper and member of the LGBTQ+ community Pepper Pieroni feels that this policy will “[help] students feel accepted and supported… for the people that are affected, this is endlessly affirming and powerful.” Pieroni hopes that “people will step outside of their own shoes and realize that not everyone feels safe in every space.”
Lembo hopes the policy, once instituted, will allow LGBTQ+ students and faculty to feel more comfortable in their everyday lives and alleviate the trepidation aforementioned by Pieroni around using a locker room. “This will hopefully remove that fear,” Lembo said.
Upper Justin Li, who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community, highlighted the significance of explicit language regarding gender identity. “By creating and implementing a policy that directly benefits transgender or non-binary students, the school is effectively demonstrating its support, which is a crucial measure for queer students,” Li said.
Prep Charles Falivena, a bisexual-identifying trans ally, recalled seeing a friend mocked in the past for using the bathroom of their preference. He appreciates that PEA is finally taking a clear stance on national debates around the topic. “I think it’s a really progressive step forward for the Academy,” Falivena said.
In a similar vein, upper Pepper Pieroni commented on the policy’s significance in the context of the recent reinterpretation of Title IX by the Trump administration, which defined sex by an individual’s genitals at birth.
While trans-identifying upper Sam Park believes the policy is long overdue, she commended the Academy’s progress and expressed her support. “The Exonian community has been in need of such a policy for many years, and I am very glad the Academy is working towards a better and more inclusive future,” Park said. “I personally am in support of this drafted policy and fully endorse it as it is currently written.”
Bramlett concluded by voicing her high hopes for the policy and its potential impact. “Our hope is that a new policy can create a better and more inclusive environment for all community members,” she said. “It affirms our commitment to equity and inclusion and it is the right thing to do.”