Transgendered Student Requests Gender-Neutral Bathrooms at Round Lake High School

A transgender student at Round Lake High School has started a Care2 petition to ask for gender-neutral bathrooms for all students. Late Thursday night, the petition had 190 signatures. The petition was begun by Jonas Valentine, a transgendered student who wants to see more gender-neutral bathrooms at the high school and would like to see them spaced out throughout the school instead of just in one spot.

Valentine came out as transgendered after Christmas break, in January.

“I was open about it to all of my teachers and any other staff members that needed to know,” Valentine says. “I asked them to call me Jonas and refer to me in male pronouns.”

But when it comes time to use the school facilities, Valentine said there have been some issues.

“They then isolated me into the teacher’s locker room,” Valentine says. “They said students felt “uncomfortable” with me in the normal locker room and bathroom.

“At first I felt like it was fair to the students, but now I’m realizing how unfair it is to myself.”

Valentine says he has some classes that are far from the gym and worries about being late for class.

“I have to run to make it to the bathroom and be back in time for class,” Valentine said. “I’ve gotten used to holding it in whenever I need to use the restroom, because it’s such a far distance.”

Valentine says students at the school have had mixed reactions.

“From my fellow students, I’ve gotten a fair share of support (but there are) those who don’t support me,” Valentine told Care2 via email. “Some classmates respect my decisions and refer to me in male pronouns, while others flat out call me by my legal name and female pronouns because they say they know it “irritates” me.”

Although Valentine is graduating soon, he says he hopes the school will create a gender-neutral bathroom so that future transgender students don’t have to feel isolated.

“I’m hoping that future trans students are able to get that comfort that they need, to not be afraid of whatever may happen if they come out,” Valentine said. “I hope to some day return to see that there is a difference being made - that trans students like me won’t walk around with their head down afraid to show the whole school who they really are. To embrace who they really are on the inside.”