College Johns Go Coed

When students return to Emerson College in Massachusetts this month, they’ll be greeted by silhouettes of a man and woman on a single sign outside some two-dozen campus restrooms. In response to growing transgender discomfort with single-sex bathrooms, many colleges are making their johns gender-neutral, the Boston Globe reports.

A dean at the college said the move “doesn’t take anything away from anyone; it just gives students more options.” One transgender student said she had “felt unsafe” going into single-sex restrooms; others had grown weary of getting odd looks. The University of Vermont, Simmons College, Tufts University and some cities are offering gender-neutral restrooms to the public as well. (More University of Vermont stories.)