August 04, 2023
Colleges Are Offering Gender-Inclusive Housing. But Queer Students Say the Programs Aren't Perfect.
Niko Powell was thrilled to learn the four-year university he'll attend this fall offers gender-inclusive housing.
As a transgender man attending a school 40 minutes away from his New Jersey home, the housing option promised a safe space for him to begin his second year of college. Excitement turned into anxiousness, though, when the 19-year-old student learned that finding a dorm isn't as easy as the school advertised. The dedicated gender-inclusive housing building costs $2,000 more a semester than other options, which Powell said was far out of his price range. His alternative was to find three other students to fill a gender-neutral suite, as single and double bedrooms are not options. If he failed to do that, he would be placed with a female roommate, live on an all-female floor and use all-female shower facilities, which he said would feel uncomfortable for everyone.
As a transgender man attending a school 40 minutes away from his New Jersey home, the housing option promised a safe space for him to begin his second year of college. Excitement turned into anxiousness, though, when the 19-year-old student learned that finding a dorm isn't as easy as the school advertised. The dedicated gender-inclusive housing building costs $2,000 more a semester than other options, which Powell said was far out of his price range. His alternative was to find three other students to fill a gender-neutral suite, as single and double bedrooms are not options. If he failed to do that, he would be placed with a female roommate, live on an all-female floor and use all-female shower facilities, which he said would feel uncomfortable for everyone.