On the 5th of February 2025, at 3:33 PM, returning residents of Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall (GP) received an email from KU Housing. This email said that Housing has the responsibility “to designate community-style bathrooms in housing facilities with a gender of either male or female.” This email further outlines that GP will be gender-segregated by floor and “will not be able to offer spaces for Gender Inclusive Assignments (GIAs).” Housing provided two options:
- Stay at GP and live on gender-segregated floors.
- Request a GIA in the Housing portal by 8 AM February 10th (5-day deadline) and Housing will share options at a later date.
Housing said that select spaces in KK Amini Scholarship Hall were designated for GIA, and should requests exceed the number of available spaces, residents will be offered other GIAs on campus, outside of the Scholarship Halls. Housing then invited us to a meeting at 7 PM that same night (less than 3.5 hours notice) to answer questions and discuss options with returning residents.
Housing will designate the first and second floor as “female” and the third floor as “male,” limiting bathroom accessibility for many students. This decision from Housing will displace trans and disabled residents within GP and disrupt the safe and inclusive environment that its members have developed for many years. Through this sudden change in policy, residents will have enhanced difficulty achieving academic excellence due to financial strain, hostile social dynamics, sudden change of environment, and more.
GP urges KU Housing to continue in active discussion together and respect the hall-wide GIAs that have been an integrated part of the community for the past three years. GP remains committed to gender neutral housing and bathrooms and will continue advocating for the right of a safe and inclusive living environment.
Give your personal testimony on how inclusive living and/or gender neutral housing has positively affected you - https://forms.gle/dip8KJxa1iWxo4Bq8
