All-Gender Toilets at the University of Applied Sciences Austria

Imagine you have to go to the loo and don't know where to go. Not because there is nowhere to go or because you don't have 50 cents to spare. No, you work or study at a University of Applied Sciences and the facilities exist. But they exist in a way that doesn't include you.

For people who don't want to go to the men's or women's toilets or are not respected and accepted there, for example because of their physical appearance, every visit to the toilet can turn into a gauntlet. At the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, we want all students and staff to feel comfortable and be able to use the restroom in peace. For this reason, we have decided to mark individual toilets with “all gender” and thus open them to people of all genders. It is also possible to use a toilet marked male or female if you feel you belong to one of these genders, both or neither.

As some people have rarely come into contact with all-gender toilets, here are a few rules of etiquette for using these special and yet so normal toilet facilities:

1. A restroom is a restroom and is there to take care of a certain basic need. This should be possible for all those present without disturbance.
2. We all need it and we all use it.
3. Gender-neutral toilets are open to people of all genders.
4. Gender identity and gender expression do not play a role here.
5. Everyone present is responsible for ensuring that everyone feels comfortable.

Contact

The faculties are responsible for the text and conversion of the toilet facilities in cooperation with the Gender and Diversity Management Conference (GDM-C). Would you like to give us your opinion or find out more? Feel free to contact us at diversity@fh-ooe.at