In California, gender-neutral bathrooms for students were never a problem, since California’s state law already protects transgender students by stating that they can use the bathroom for the gender they identify with. Here at Venice, the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) wants to open a gender-neutral bathroom in the near future.

The first Los Angeles Unified School District school opened a gender-neutral bathroom at Santee Education Complex in April, after a month-long campaign by the school and their GSA, according to a Fox News report. According to an April 14 Los Angeles Times article, the bathroom will be open to students of both sexes at the same time. Venice High’s GSA is going to be working on a similar campaign.

“We want safe gender-neutral bathroom,” said junior Drew Anderson, of GSA.

TV journalists came to Venice recently to get students reactions about the move towards gender-neutral bathrooms. Anderson was upset. He said they were asking rude questions.

“They asked students, ‘Do you feel safe with a transgender in the bathroom?’ That’s not the point,” he said.

“The media scandalizes the whole idea of the bathrooms and blows up the problem,” said junior Juno Ishida.

“Nobody should have anxiety to go use the bathroom,” Ishida states.

On the other hand, across the country, in North Carolina, people think otherwise. North Carolina recently passed a bill which stated that transgender people should use the public bathroom for the gender that corresponds to their birth. According to a BBC report, the Obama administration sued North Carolina and called their law, “state-sponsored discrimination.” Now, 11 states have filled a lawsuit to challenge the Obama Administration.

Throughout the history of the United States, the use of bathrooms has been controversial. Jim Crow Laws forced colored people to use separate restrooms from whites. Later, people thought gay men using the restroom caused people to catch HIV/Aids. And today, lack of cleanliness frequently keeps students from using the restroom.