The change comes as part of a nationwide shift in campus attitudes towards gender equality.
UCD has announced that it will redesignate over 170 toilets across its campus as gender-neutral as part of a new policy to create greater equality for transgender and gender-fluid students and employees.
In addition to this news, the Dublin college will also be introducing transgender changing facilities at its sports centre, along with the ability for transgender students to change their names on official university award documents and materials without the need for a gender recognition certificate.
Praising the move as “a good day for equality”, Minister for Children and Equality Katherine Zappone is set to launch the new policy at a UCD Equality Diversity and Inclusion event on Thursday, 22 February.
Really looking forward to this…a good day for equality https://t.co/WwiBMWDTjg
— Katherine Zappone (@k_zappone) February 22, 2018
“Our universities are drivers of change, promoters of equality and champions of justice”, she told the Irish Times.
“UCD is continuing that proud tradition by providing a welcoming campus for trans and gender-fluid students and employees.”
The process of redesignating single-stall toilets and changing rooms is set to be carried out by the university authorities, which will include using a symbol that is half male, half female.
It is also reported that the changing facilities in the sports centre will have signs that enable transgender persons to choose the facility based on which gender they identify with.
This change is indicative of a wider reform on campuses, with DIT transforming its disabled bathrooms to include gender-neutral people back in November 2017. The signage also included a male and female symbol in order to encourage greater inclusivity, with colleges including DCU, Trinity College, UCC, IT Tallaght, CIT and GMIT having acted similarly in recent months.
In November 2017, it was also reported that Trinity College, Dublin would be phasing out its use of the term “freshman” for the gender-neutral “fresh”.
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