Students will have the option to live in gender-neutral housing beginning this fall, according to Director of Housing and Residential Life Carol Roberts-Corb.
A limited number of spaces at Beachside College will be reserved to provide gender-neutral housing for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. Roberts-Corb said that the exact number of spaces has not yet been determined.
She said the idea for the program was sparked by Larisa E. Hamada, director of the Office of Equity and Diversity, who asked if Cal State Long Beach offered gender-neutral housing.
“Gender-neutral housing will provide support to students who, for whatever reason, need or request special accommodations due to gender identity or expression,” Roberts-Corb said. “We want to provide a safe environment for all students.”
Roberts-Corb said that although CSULB already accommodates students who request gender-neutral housing, they wanted to spread awareness of the option by making it a part of the housing application.
“We want to make it more of a stated, formal practice than what it currently is,” Roberts-Corb said.
The housing application for 2014-15, which will be available March 3, will include the new option. Students who want to be placed in gender-neutral housing must select the option on the form and fill out a supplemental license agreement before being placed.
Gender-neutral rooms, however, will not be physically labeled for the safety and comfort of the students who live in them, Roberts-Corb said.
She said housing chose to offer gender-neutral housing at Beachside because the bathrooms at Beachside are more private than those at Hillside College and Parkside College, which are communal.
CSULB also has 11 gender-neutral bathrooms across campus, located in the Dance Center, the University Police building, Fine Arts building 3, the Human Services and Design building and the Student Health Services building, Roberts-Corb said.
Many students, like senior engineering major Craig Johnson, said they are excited about the new housing option.
“It’s great, not just for transgender people but also for the student population on our campus,” Johnson said. “Everyone should feel comfortable in their own bubble they call home.”
Senior healthcare administration major Nina Canova said she thinks gender-neutral housing benefits students.
“I think that that’s a great idea for gay students,” Canova said. “Our school is so diverse and has so many different people that we should have something like that.”
Sophomore biology major Julie Chan, on the other hand, said she is worried the housing option will not be successful.
“I think that is a good idea for students to feel more happy,” Chan said. “I am just not sure a lot of people will sign up for it … [because] I think even though we are a pretty liberal campus, there are still many close-minded people.”
The housing option resembles similar ones at many Southern California universities, such as University of California, Riverside, and San Diego State University.
For more information, students can contact Housing and Residential Life at 562-985-4187 or the Office of Equity and Diversity at 562-985-8256.
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