Boston.com – By Emily A. Canal, Globe Correspondent
On the inside, a set of bathrooms at Emerson College looks like standard fare. On the outside, there are newfangled signs to ease the concerns of students who prefer not to signal that they are entering a men’s or women’s bathroom.
The symbols are gender-neutral, a picture of a man and a woman. In response to students’ pleas, Emerson has changed the signs that used to be aimed at a specific gender on 21 restrooms in campus buildings and one of the college’s two dormitories.
Emerson’s changes, made in preparation for the upcoming school year, mirror moves by Tufts University and the University of Vermont, part of a small but growing number of universities modifying policies and facilities on behalf of transgender students. Several colleges have amended nondiscrimination policies to include gender identity, but student groups recently began pursuing more concrete changes, including gender-neutral housing, locker rooms, and bathrooms.