University of Cincinnati Protests Lead to "Biological" Bathroom Signs Reversal

“Deny, delay, fight back.”

Used with permission, Taly Landis

First they came for the bathrooms, but University of Cincinnati students and faculty brought the board meeting to a screeching halt. So the board had to change its course.

Protesters inside the Feb. 25 board of trustees meeting at Ohio’s second largest college said they struggled to hear over the chants outside of “DEI will never die!” and “Let us piss where we please!” It marked the second consecutive day of protests at UC targeting several current and up-and-coming policies; hundreds gathered outside the conference room doors, kept out because the space had hit “maximum occupancy.”

Used with permission, vietakespics

The week prior, some students had awoken to new signs in their dormitory bathrooms — the “male” and “female” signs were replaced by ones that said “biological female” and “biological male.” The switch happened the day before Senate Bill 104, an Ohio law segregating student restroom facilities by gender, went into effect, amidst a flurry of other anti-trans and anti-diversity, equity and inclusion provisions being passed, signed, debated, litigated, upheld and struck down at state and federal levels.

After widespread backlash, the university called the signs an “error” and apologized in an email sent to students. The university told CityBeat that the change was indeed in response to the bathroom law, which says: “Each institution of higher education shall designate with clear signage each student restroom, locker room, changing room, or shower room accessible by multiple students at the same time for the exclusive use by students of the male biological sex only or by students of the female biological sex only."

The signs didn’t last 24 hours. “Biological” was blacked out with spray paint. Others were covered up with creative alternatives — a Monopoly-style poster that said “BATHROOM - WHO CARES - JUST GO;” a rallying cry to “bring back our bathrooms,” a utilitarian “go piss girl” meme (the “girl” is regarded as gender neutral).

Used with permission, Taly Landis

Other universities in Ohio, as well as those in states impacted by similar bathroom bans, have also expressed their intention to comply with these policies, or else they could lose federal funding for essential programs, such as student scholarships.

But Ryan Thoreson, an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, said the signage didn’t merely uphold the statute. It “added insult to injury” to students already suffering.

“These bathroom bills being acted across the United States put transgender people at risk,” Thoreson told Erin in the Morning. He says these kinds of bathroom bills force many trans people to choose between outing themselves — subjecting them to even more harassment and discrimination — or breaking the law.

There are 13 similar bathroom bills currently in place across the country, but the University of Cincinnati appears to be only the only school reported to have added “biological” to some of their signage.

“My fear is that other colleges and universities will follow suit now that this has hit the news,” Thoreson said. “For transgender rights, there's a race to the bottom in over-complying with threats from federal and state governments.”

Students, staff and faculty who spoke to Erin in the Morning emphasized their views were their own, and are not representative of the university as an institution. A spokesperson for the university said the state bill would only impact a small number of residential buildings on campus. They also said students can refer to this webpage for information about what facilities to use.

Nonetheless, rumors, confusion and panic spread across campus like wildfire. Would trans people be required to move dorms? Would RAs be required to out their trans residents?

“I think that’s what Republican legislators want,” a member of the university’s upper leadership told Erin in the Morning. They spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they are not authorized to make statements to the press at this time.

“But, there has been an outpouring of support for the trans community from students and [staff]. Signs constantly ripped down and plastered over.”

Among the few residential buildings where the new signs appeared were two newly-renovated dorm buildings designed to have floor-to-ceiling, multi-stall restrooms, to reduce gaps and ensure maximum privacy. The university spent over $160 million on those two projects.

“That verbiage only further drives isolation,” said Evelyn Hayberger, a 20-year-old junior and teaching assistant at the university. “Is my identity gonna exist in the coming months? Am I going to be able to go to the bathroom in the coming months? There’s so many things I have to think about on top of the schoolwork I normally have, which are really rigorous aerospace engineering courses. To have to worry about that and fight for who I am on top of everything — that’s a lot.”

Multiple students said the outpouring of support was unprecedented in their time at the university. “The community has really shown their support, so from a community aspect, I don't feel less safe,” said Jordan*, a 19-year-old trans freshman. “From an administrative aspect, I would say they’ve shown that they're not going to put up a fight if they have to.”

Several cited a “Students for Diversity” Instagram account run by UCstudents, which gained thousands of followers overnight following a post about the bathroom signs.

UC president Neville Pinto said the university had “little choice” but to follow the law. But a Students for Diversity organizer challenged them to do more.

“Deny, delay, fight back,” said Marissa*, 21, a senior. “The fact that it was done in preparation really is what grinds our gears. What alternatives are there? What can we do as a community, first and foremost, to help protect trans students?”

Legally enforcing bathroom segregation is a tall order without resorting to what Thoreson dubbed playing “bathroom police.” Such laws do nothing to reduce sexual assault rates. It does result in violence against people of all gender identities, such as the woman harassed out of a Capitol Hill bathroom by Republicans Representatives Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace, because they thought she was Representative Sarah McBride, a trans woman. It was in fact a cis woman, but they could not tell the difference.

---

*Some students asked to use a pseudonym and/or have identifying information withheld due to concerns about safety and privacy.