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Francis J, Sachan P, Waters Z, Trapp G, Pearce N, Burns S, Lin A, Cross D. Gender-Neutral Toilets: A Qualitative Exploration of Inclusive School Environments for Sexuality and Gender Diverse Youth in Western Australia. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19:10089. [PMID: 36011720 PMCID: PMC9407760 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191610089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
School toilets have been identified by sexuality and gender diverse (SGD) students as the least safe spaces in educational institutions. They are sites of verbal, physical and sexual victimisation. Providing gender-neutral toilets in primary and secondary schools may reduce the bullying and victimisation of SGD students, particularly those who are transgender or gender-diverse. This study explored factors influencing the inclusion of gender-neutral toilets in primary and secondary schools in Western Australia. Thirty-four interviews were conducted from May to December 2020 with policy makers or practitioners (n = 22) and school staff (n = 12) in Perth, Western Australia. Interviews were conducted online and face-to-face using semi-structured interview guides. A thematic analysis of the cross-sectional qualitative data was undertaken. School staff, policy makers, and practitioners identified school toilets as sites of bullying and victimisation of SGD youth and expressed support for gender-neutral toilets as an anti-bullying strategy. Perceived barriers to introducing gender-neutral toilets in schools included financial and spatial costs, building code compliance constraints, resistance from parents and students, privacy and confidentiality concerns, and cultural appropriateness. Including gender-neutral toilets in schools may reduce school-based bullying and victimisation, and improve the mental and physical health of SGD youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacinta Francis
- Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Pratishtha Sachan
- Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Zoe Waters
- Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Gina Trapp
- Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Natasha Pearce
- Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Sharyn Burns
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Kent St., Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Ashleigh Lin
- Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Donna Cross
- Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
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Corradi G, Garcia-Garzon E, Barrada JR. The Development of a Public Bathroom Perception Scale. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; 17:ijerph17217817. [PMID: 33114539 PMCID: PMC7662958 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17217817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Public bathrooms are sensible locations in which individuals confront an intimate environment outside the comfort of their own home. The assessment of public bathrooms is especially problematic for people whose illnesses make them more prone to needing this service. Unfortunately, there is a lack in the evaluation of the elements that are relevant to the user’s perspective. For that reason, we propose a new scale to assess these elements of evaluation of public bathrooms. We developed a scale of 14 items and three domains: privacy, ease of use and cleanliness. We tested the factor validity of this three-factor solution (n = 654) on a sample of healthy individuals and 155 respondents with a bowel illness or other affection that reported to be bathroom-dependent. We found that bathroom-dependent people value more privacy and cleanliness more than their healthy counterparts. We additionally found a gender effect on the scale: female participants scored higher in every domain. This study provides the first scale to assess value concerning public bathrooms and to highlight the relevance of different bathrooms’ aspects to users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Corradi
- Departamento de Psicología, Facultad Salud, Universidad Camilo José Cela, 28692 Madrid, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Eduardo Garcia-Garzon
- Departamento de Psicología, Facultad Salud, Universidad Camilo José Cela, 28692 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Juan Ramón Barrada
- Departamento de Psicología y Sociología, Universidad de Zaragoza, 44003 Teruel, Spain;
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