Bathrooms are essential to the design of any building, and the LGBTQ rights movement has brought gender-specific bathrooms into the national spotlight. But even if you do not identify as LGBTQ, all-gender bathrooms might affect you, too. Here are a few reasons why.

1. You have a child with you. If that child is a different gender than you, perhaps you don’t feel comfortable sending the child into the bathroom on their own, or exposing them to a bathroom of a different gender. An all-gender bathroom solves this dilemma.

2. You have a disability or injury and need assistance. The person who is assisting you may not be the same gender as you and needs to go into the restroom to help This becomes impossible with two adults who appear as two different genders.

3. You want more privacy. Most often, all-gender bathrooms are a single stall bathroom with a lock, so an all-gender bathroom is helpful if, for example, you need to change clothes after a run and want more space or are a diabetic and need to administer medicine.

At Bentley University, all single-stall restrooms in residence halls and academic buildings on campus have been converted for all-gender usage. The university is nearing the goal of having at least one all-gender restroom in every building on campus.

“As a university, one of our top priorities is to prepare students to effectively collaborate with diverse people in diverse environments,” said Bentley Residence Director Keriann Clinton. “In addition to creating safe and inclusive spaces for people of all genders, all-gender bathrooms help spark an important conversation on campus so that students are aware of issues that affect marginalized communities, even if they do not themselves identify.”

For information on Bentley’s LGBTQ programs, visit bentley.edu/lgbtq.