AT A GLANCE
Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines transgender people as those "who have a sexual identity that is not clearly male or clearly female." They may or may not have undergone surgery, according to a primer that the University of Wisconsin published titled "LGBTQQA Basics," which stands for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and allied.
No one knows how many transgender students attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
But the campus' first gender-neutral bathroom in the new library just outside the Starbucks coffeehouse has gotten lots of attention, including people stopping to take "selfies" next to the sign on the door that shows the outlines of both a man and a woman.
"People are definitely talking about it," said Kelsey Weaver, a sophomore business management major who heads the Student Senate's Social Issues, Equity and Diversity Committee.
Weaver drafted the resolution that called on UTC to establish gender-neutral restrooms on campus so that "gender nonconforming and transgender students" would feel "safe and comfortable."
She was inspired partly because she heard of a gender nonconforming student being "assaulted" last year for trying to use a single-occupancy first-floor bathroom in the Lupton Library that the new library replaced.
"Assaulted. Not physically -- but very verbally," Weaver said. "These restrooms are needed to assure the safety of our students."
Gender-neutral bathrooms offer peace of mind to students who need them, according to Weaver.
"Having to enter a restroom where you have to decide what you are can trigger harsh memories," she said.
Retired state Rep. Richard Floyd, R-Chattanooga, in 2012 sponsored a bill that would have required transgender people to use public bathrooms and dressing rooms that match their birth gender or face a $50 fine. Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, withdrew the Senate version of the bill after it drew a firestorm of criticism in the national media.
"I should probably call myself a prophet," Floyd said Friday, referring to the UTC bathroom as "perverted."
Floyd said he now regrets voting for legislation to fund UTC's library, which cost $48 million and opened this month.
"Is it something we should be proud of? No, no, one thousand times no," Floyd said. "If I had $1 billion, I'd burn it before I ever gave one dime to an education system like that."
UTC spokesman Chuck Cantrell said two other single-occupancy, gender-neutral restrooms are in the works: one at the University Center and another at the Aquatics and Recreation Center.
More than 150 colleges and universities around the nation have gender-neutral bathrooms, according to a July Huffington Post article titled "Gender-Neutral Bathrooms Are Quietly Becoming The New Thing At Colleges."
The gender-neutral restroom in UTC's library has one stall that locks. It's equipped with both a sit-down toilet and a urinal. It's next door to a women's restroom. The nearest men's room is about 100 yards away on the first floor next to the elevators.
UTC's gender-neutral bathroom is in a high-traffic area, and it appears it's being used. The oversized roll of toilet paper was half gone early this week.
"I think it's cool," UTC sophomore Rachel Wood said Friday as she sat at a table in Starbucks with fellow student Hanna Vogner. "It shows that the school is accepting of everybody."
"I'm not positive that it'll get a lot of use," Wood added. "I haven't seen anyone use it yet."
Ironically, Wood thinks she saw a transgender woman use the women's bathroom next door to the gender-neutral bathroom.
The sign for a gender-neutral restroom is in the new library on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.The two think the bathroom has raised students' awareness of transgender issues.
"I've heard a lot of people talk about it," Vogner said. "When I first heard about it, I thought it was a rumor."
Members of Spectrum, UTC's gay-straight alliance group, urged the student senate to call on UTC's administration to create gender-neutral bathrooms. The Student Senate passed the resolution endorsing gender-neutral bathrooms in September by a 23-5 vote.
"We had really good support in the Senate," said UTC student body President Robert Fisher, who recently was chosen as a Rhodes Scholar.
He said UTC doesn't track the number of transgender students.
"It's difficult to determine that because we don't have forms that compile that data," Fisher said. "They may not identify with either [gender]. They may be in a place of transition."
Contact education writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu@timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/tim.omarzu or twitter.com/TimOmarzu or 423-757-6651.