Ja’Nyah Villa is the Wildcat Chronicle’s co-Editor-in-Chief, and she occasionally writes opinions. The views in this story are her own. 

Students at West Chicago Community High School were informed on Nov. 13 that all of the single-use bathrooms – often referred to as the “gender-neutral” bathrooms – will now be locked during the school day and after school hours.

The decision was made after an administrative discussion. In an email sent by the Director of Culture and Climate, Jenna Windt, the reasoning behind this new policy was stated. Essentially, locking these bathrooms is supposed to limit “gatherings” and maintain “cleanliness” while also keeping everyone “comfortable.” The email also refers students to the dean if they have any questions.

Generally speaking, “the dean” is not somebody anyone wants to speak to, as it usually implies trouble. In fact, students at WEGO tend to avoid the deans altogether, not because of a dislike for the people who fill the position, but because the position itself is ominous and makes students uneasy. Being in the same room as someone who has the power to penalize students in a way that other staff members can not is scary for many.

“Going to talk to the dean has negative implications, because that’s where people go when they’re in trouble. And I think this isn’t accidental…they don’t want questions to be asked. They want compliance,” Senior Ava Bloniarz said.

To access these bathrooms, students will have to approach security and request that they unlock the bathroom.

“Security guards would only deny students entry to the bathroom when the bathroom is already occupied or if there is a plumbing/maintenance issue that would require no students to enter the bathroom for any reason,” Windt said.

Although Windt did not express a personal opinion on the matter, she stated that all students are welcome to request access to single-use bathrooms, regardless of identity.

John Doe, whose name has been changed for his safety, is a student at WEGO and expressed feeling boxed in by this new policy.

“As a transgender student who doesn’t feel safe using assigned bathrooms, I feel limited,” Doe said. “I don’t feel comfortable having to ask security to be let into the bathroom, and I hate unnecessarily over-crowding the nurses’ office.”

This decision mirrors a broader pattern: transgender people around the country are being targeted by lawmakers. One example of this would be a law in Texas, effective Dec. 4, that will restrict transgender people from public restrooms, including in government buildings, public schools, and universities.

When the world is trying to erase these people, schools should be embracing them and offering a safe environment for all students, no matter their identity. Many students do not see this new policy as an extra step, but rather as a barrier that prevents them from feeling safe at school. By taking away bathroom options, WCCHS is conforming to a two-sex gender order, whether that be the intent or not.

To put into perspective just how impractical this policy is: locking all of the gender neutral bathrooms to prevent so-called “gatherings” is equivalent to hypothetically closing off all of the ramps in the building because students used them as slides. Doing so would affect not only the temporarily injured members of the community but also the disabled ones, in the same way that closing single-use bathrooms negatively affects queer students at WEGO, as well as those who just prefer them over the stalled restrooms. The only difference is that people who have disabilities are protected under the law, so that would not happen. Queer students at WEGO are being targeted, their lives are being made harder, and the administration has and will likely not do anything to make them more comfortable. The point is that punishing the people who rely on these facilities for safety, comfort, or even just convenience, all because a couple of bad seeds ruined it for everyone, is completely unethical.

If the administration were actually concerned about how the bathrooms were being used, they could have taken a couple of different approaches. One being that they could have assigned security guards to take turns stationing the bathroom areas (from a comfortable distance, maybe 10 feet or so) to monitor who was going in and out, and to prevent multiple people from entering at a time. This would not only be more effective but also more comfortable for everyone involved. Security guards are usually nowhere to be found during the school day, so now students have to track them down to open the restrooms and, in turn, miss more class time.

“I understand why this change is being made, and I know it’s not made to exclude me, but I hate that it ends up affecting me and other students who rely on those bathrooms and don’t have the same options as other students,” Doe said. “I’ll be honest, I’ve been harassed and questioned in this school before in relation to my identity, and this is just one more hurdle I have to jump over. The world doesn’t revolve around me, but I just wish it would take me into consideration every now and then. It might be a small thing for someone who isn’t trans, who doesn’t know what it’s like, but it isn’t for me.”

Revision

Nov. 15, 2025

This story was updated after publication to include an editor’s note clarifying that the opinions expressed are those of the writer, as is standard for all commentary pieces. The headline was also updated to include the [OPINION] label, and minor AP-style corrections were made to improve clarity and accuracy.

Revision

Nov. 22, 2025

Some parts of this story were rewritten to be clearer on intent, and another section was added to discuss possible solutions to the issue at hand. The photo’s caption was rewritten to be more detailed.