Nica Ross’ restroom advocacy began as self-advocacy. When their office was moved away from a cluster of single-stall restrooms in 2018, they lost access to a restroom within walking distance. Ross asked the university if the restroom down the hall could be converted to all-gender. What they thought would be “a simple ask” unfolded into a complex, bureaucratic process. Between them and university-wide access to all-gender restrooms were questions no one had asked before, hundreds of pages of plumbing code, and a years-long wait for Pennsylvania — and, in turn, Allegheny County — to update it.
When Ross thinks “plumbing,” the images that come to mind include drinking and sewer water and flood management. But provisions in the 2018 International Plumbing Code (IPC) also set explicit rules on the number of male and female restrooms in a building, creating barriers for spaces that want to increase all-gender options.
“Even though other states and cities had changed their plumbing code to allow for greater flexibility around gendered restrooms, we are trapped in an antiquated code that attaches gender to plumbing,” Ross explained.
In 2021, the IPC expanded its restroom standards to allow multi-user restrooms to serve anyone. The Allegheny County Board of Health approved the new code that same year, but the county can only implement it once the state adopts it in July 2025. Under the 2018 code Pennsylvania currently follows, multi-stall restrooms must be designated for “men” or “women.”
Anticipating the IPC change, Carnegie Mellon began making renovations accordingly. In March 2023, the All-Gender Restroom Access Committee completed a project on the women’s restroom on the fifth floor of Wean. Stall doors stretch nearly from floor to ceiling and comply with the 2021 IPC rules for all-gender, multi-user restrooms. Once the county implements the 2021 IPC, the restroom will be labeled all-gender.
Holly Hippensteel, the Associate Vice President for Community Standards and Diversity Initiatives, and Daryl Weinert, the Vice President of Operations, co-chair the committee. Bonnett said the co-chairs guided the “conversations needed to make this project happen, including advocating for plumbing code changes, facilitating project approvals, [and] helping develop and socialize restroom designs.”
According to the committee’s project associate, McKenzie Bonnett, the committee chose the Wean fifth floor restroom because it is in one of the most highly trafficked locations on campus. With its proximity to La Prima, the main elevators and stairs, and connections to other buildings, it is also one of the most-used restrooms on campus. Wean was also third on the committee’s Spring 2022 list of all-gender restroom deserts.
Ross said the committee has similar plans for the restrooms being built in the Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics; they will comply with 2021 IPC standards for all-gender restrooms and be labeled as such when the code takes effect.
How it happened
Ross felt alone when they started their advocacy. They asked questions people had never asked before. Many people they spoke with were gender-conforming and had not questioned why restrooms are split by gender.
Ross spent a lot of time educating and fielding questions about perceived safety concerns, including pedophilia and male students “causing chaos.” They pointed out that there are already anti-harassment laws in place, by which everyone would have to continue to abide.
After a year of meetings, the university realized that Cyert Hall — the building that housed Ross’ office — had a higher ratio of restrooms per person than the plumbing code required. Because there were enough male and female restrooms, the university could label the one by Ross’ office all-gender.
Ross built community throughout the process, finding people who shared similar experiences and people who recognized the importance of the change. They also joined the Trans, Intersex, and Nonbinary Alliance (TINA), which was being formed around the same time. “I felt really empowered to know that we were a big, diverse community,” Ross said. TINA welcomes faculty, staff, and students as members.
After Ross secured an accessible restroom for themself, they continued to advocate across campus. In 2020, they helped create the All Gender Restroom Access Committee. It includes representatives from the Office of Title IX, University Communications and Marketing, Facilities Management and Campus Services, and Campus Design and Facility Development.
When Ross began their advocacy, they had to learn which people they needed to speak with to make change happen. Even when they were assembled, there was still a lot of learning to do. Now, Ross said, committee members are “experts beyond belief.”
In 2021, the committee led the charge to include gender-inclusive signs outside multi-stall restrooms. These welcome students to use the restroom with which they are comfortable, as the university continues to label the restrooms male or female in compliance with county standards. Some of these signs have been vandalized and, according to TINA, the university has been tracking and repairing torn signs. The university also published an interactive map of all-gender restrooms on campus.
Upcoming updates
“We’re still at the band-aid phase,” Ross said of solutions like gender-inclusive signage. Still, they said the provision is important. “It says CMU has a policy of restroom access over-policing people’s gender. … It says gender-nonconforming people have the right to be in public.”
This year, Bonnett said the All-Gender Restroom Access Committee will continue to advocate for plumbing code reform. It will also focus on creating more restrooms where inclusive options are limited and “updated restroom designs” in new buildings.
As they think about access to public spaces, Ross said that there are still a lot of gaps to fill. They envision campus facilities that everyone can use, regardless of gender, ability, and other identities.
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