St. Paul's Johnson High School Creating Gender Neutral Bathrooms

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Last month, Target announced it welcomes transgender team members and customers to use whatever bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

Now, a St. Paul high school is following suit.

Over the summer, Johnson High School in St. Paul will convert all of its bathrooms to be gender neutral.

According to Facilities Director Tom Parent, the changes to the bathrooms are coming after learning of the impact the current restrooms had on student's lives.

Students told faculty that the current condition didn't create a respected and safe environment.

"In working with staff and students, we designed a response that met the needs of all students. [This] extends well beyond simply gender inclusion but also individual privacy, enhanced safety, easier/more convenient access, more available toilet fixtures overall, and even individual prayer/religious needs," Parent said.

The new bathrooms will be changed over to have single-occupancy stalls. This means that while sinks will still be communal, stalls will have floor-to-ceiling walls so any student can use any stall in any restroom.

The bathroom renovations are part of a larger project that will work to replace domestic water and waste piping throughout the building, which have not been updated since the building was built in 1963.

Other projects include new boilers, a new roof, a new fire alarm system, a new front entry and updates to the cafeteria.

According to Parent, the overall project is expected to be completed by September 2017.