The Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA) club is pushing to implement a gender-neutral bathroom system starting this school year. SAGA plans to designate one bathroom on campus as gender neutral and to create signage to indicate that it is available.
SAGA co-president Amara Radetsky believes that creating gender-neutral bathrooms is a critical step toward making Tam’s environment more accepting for LGBTQ+ kids. “I think because we live in Marin we often have the conception that everything is fine because our attitudes toward LGBTQ kids are so evolved, but that’s not necessarily the case,” Radetsky said. “The problem is that we are kind of at a tolerance [and] acceptance stage, but that’s really not enough. The goal is not only to have it be tolerated; it is to have awareness and an [LGBTQ+] presence on campus.”
After meeting with Assistant Principal Brian Lynch, SAGA received permission from the administration to begin their project. The group first plans to make the single-stall bathroom by the art and music rooms into an official gender neutral bathroom. This bathroom will be accessible to all Tam students and staff members of any gender identity. In addition to establishing a gender neutral bathroom, SAGA intends to create official signs that will direct people to the gender-neutral bathroom. These signs will be put next to the other restrooms on campus to inform students of the availability and location of this bathroom.
Radetsky hopes that the creation of a gender neutral bathroom will help make the LGBTQ+ community feel more comfortable at Tam. “Having a gender-neutral bathroom [is] not saying that only these kids can use it. It’s like anyone can,” Radetsky said. “So when someone who is genderqueer or nonbinary is standing in front of those representations of male and female [on traditional bathroom signs] they won’t have to choose.”
SAGA is also working on other ways to better acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community at Tam. “Making [they/them] pronouns more mainstream, that’s actually one of our major goals this year,” Radetsky said. “Putting that [information] on Home Access so that teachers will see that when they do attendance…they’ll see that this kid uses those pronouns or has a different preferred name.”
SAGA’s four co-presidents Amara Radetsky, Cameron Creath, Sadie Munter, and Elodie Townsend and other club members meet every Tuesday in Room 320 at lunch. Any new additions to the club are encouraged and welcomed.