For most people, bathrooms are often taken for granted. They are everywhere, at least one in every home and public place.

However, for the transgender community, using the bathroom is a challenge every day, as some people might feel uncomfortable with going into a bathroom that doesn’t match their birth gender. Walking into a gendered bathroom, surrounded with people who are content with being their birth gender may seem scary for people who don’t feel the same. With this in mind, many students believe that San Pasqual should have unisex bathrooms for those who feel uncomfortable with going into a bathroom marked with a gender.

“Everyone is entitled to their own identity and no one can tell you what your identity is,” freshman Ela Thomas said. “We should all be included and represented in the school.”

One concern that students have is that gender-segregated bathrooms create an opportunity for trans students to be abused, whether verbally or physically. In serious cases, trans people can be seriously hurt just because others judge them based on appearances.

TIMES reported, “In a study from UCLA’s Williams Institute, nearly 70% of transgender people said they had experienced verbal harassment in a situation involving gender-segregated bathrooms, while 10% reported physical assault.”

Having the opportunity of using a transgender bathroom could give San Pasqual trans students a safer place to be where they don’t have to worry about feeling unsafe in a gendered bathroom, making every day that much more comfortable.

“I know some transgender people and I do believe that the option of having a transgender bathroom would make them feel safer at school,” said senior Alaissa Escobar.

San Pasqual High School stresses the idea of preparing students for college, leading them to a brighter future. Doing so also requires creating a comfortable atmosphere for everyone, no matter what race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation that they are. Leaving the feelings of San Pasqual trans students out of the equation counteracts the message that our school is trying to implement.

“We should make people feel like everyone is included and represented at school, sending a worldwide message of inclusion,” said Thomas.

High school is not just about learning, and although learning is a very important part, being in high school is also about feeling included and comfortable on campus. Having stress and feeling left out at school makes for a bad learning environment.