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GENDER NEUTRAL HOUSING FAQ'S

WHY DOES USC NEED GENDER NEUTRAL HOUSING?

As it stands, USC policy states that only students of the same legal gender can share a room within USC Housing. This current Gendered Housing policy reinforces gender identities that are not inclusive of all members of the Trojan Family.

The University of Southern California’s Department of Residential Education expresses that they are “committed to providing purposefully inclusive communities.” To be more inclusive, Gender Neutral Housing options would allow for students of different gender identities to live in the same room and, thus, would provide for people who do not wish to disclose their identity or for whom the traditional categories of "male" and "female" are not accurate reflections of themselves.

A housing program that is accommodating and inclusive of all USC students, regardless of their gender identities, and will provide the opportunity for all students to enjoy the benefits of living in University housing.

01

WHICH OTHER SCHOOLS HAVE GENDER NEUTRAL HOUSING?

Over 100 universities offer Gender Neutral Housing options on their campuses. Here are just some of those universities:

University of California (UCLA, Cal, etc.)

Stanford University
University of Pennsylvania

Columbia University

Harvard University

Princeton University

02

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “GENDER NEUTRAL" HOUSING AND “CO-ED” HOUSING?

The term "co-ed" operates on the assumption that there are only two genders: male and female. Gender Neutral Housing operates similarly to “co-ed” housing in that it allows people with different gender identities to share the same room, regardless of legal gender, but Gender Neutral Housing is based on the notion that there are more than just these two genders, and that there are, in fact, many. Allowing for Gender Neutral Housing, as opposed to just co-ed (which USC also does not have), shows more inclusiveness for diverse identities.

Simply put, Gender Neutral Housing allows for students of any gender identity to live together.

03

DOESN'T USC ALREADY HAVE "GENDER INCLUSIVE" HOUSING?

Gender Inclusive Housing exists in only on the Rainbow Floor, a special interest Residential Community for LGBTQ and Ally students in university owned, off-campus housing -- Wing C of Century II Apartments.

However, despite the title, Gender Inclusive Housing as it is currently arranged maintains an exclusively binary understanding of gender by relying upon a student’s registered gender to place them in their sleeping spaces. As it stands, Universtiy policy states that only students of the same legal gender can share a room within USC Housing. Gender is determined by the gender identification registered with the University; therefore, if a student has changed their legal gender to correctly reflect their gender identity, they can live with roommates of their gender identification.

Further, this Gender Inclusive Housing is not open to first-year students on the Rainbow Floor

04

WHAT IS "GENDER IDENTITY"?

Gender identity describes the gender with which a person identifies (i.e., whether one uses male, female, trans, genderqueer, among many others). A person's gender identity may or may not differ from their legal gender which is assigned at birth based on perceived biological characteristics.

05

WHAT WILL GENDER NEUTRAL HOUSING LOOK LIKE @ USC?

Important Components of our Gender Neutral Housing Proposed Plan:

Available in both on and off campus University owned housing
Available to first year students
Available by th 2015-2016 School Year

The suite-style dorms in buildings such as Fluor Tower and Parkside Arts & Humanities, with single stall private bathrooms, can easily be transformed to fit the needs of students with various gender identities. By allowing some of these first-year student dorms to become Gender Neutral options, no buildings would have to be structurally changed at all. The only change would be who is assigned to live in these rooms. As such, the University will not have to set aside any quota of rooms, but simply designate Gender Neutral suites as needed to meet student demand.

As a cost effective option (suite-style housing is generally more expensive than dorm-style housing), we also propose that Parkside Apartments, specifically as an on-campus housing option, be available to first-year students who request Gender Neutral Housing.

06

WILL GENDER NEUTRAL HOUSING CAUSE A FINANCIAL AND/OR STRUCTURAL BURDEN ON USC?

No. There are no necessary structural changes to any housing buildings in order to create Gender Neutral Housing options for all students who live in university-owned housing in our proposed plan.

07

WHAT OPTIONS CURRENTLY EXIST IN USC HOUSING FOR TRANS AND GENDER NON-CONFORMING STUDENTS?

Rainbow Floor. The Rainbow Floor, a special interest Residential Community for LGBTQ and Ally students, provides a "Gender Inclusive" option for residents, in which residents of different gender identities share an apartment. All students regardless of their year in school can apply to live on the Rainbow Floor. However, Gender Inclusive Housing is not open to first-year students. See Question 4 above for more information about Gender Inclusive Housing.

Single Residence. Students can work with the LGBT Resource Center and USC Housing to advocate for a single room with a private bathroom within the University's Residential Communities.

Please note: Universtiy policy states that only students of the same legal gender can share a room within USC Housing. Gender is determined by the gender identification registered with the University; therefore, if a student has changed their legal gender to correctly reflect their gender identity, they can live with roommates of their gender identification.

For many reasons, including legal hoops, many students have not changed their legal gender. Further, as it currently stands, legal gender still operates within the binaries of "male" and "female," and thus some students will not find a legal category that represents their gender identity. Gender Neutral Housing would not require reporting of gender identity.

08

I DON'T MIND MY CURRENT HOUSING OPTIONS, HOW WILL THIS AFFECT ME?

Gender Neutral Housing would allow students to live with other students, regardless of legal gender. As an opt-in program, students can choose to live with students with different gender identities. But students who prefer to live with other students with the same gender identity can still choose to do so.