Windows Installed in Gender Neutral Bathrooms at PA School

Emory H. Markle Middle School in Hanover, PA is under fire after installing windows into their gender neutral bathrooms. The windows are able to see into the sink area of the bathroom, though not the stalls. This decision was made allegedly based on the recommendation of an anti-LGBTQ+ advocacy group.

These windows have not been installed in the gendered bathrooms or in changing rooms, however. The only change was to the gender neutral bathrooms, putting those who use them at risk. South Western School District (SWSD) board president Matthew Gelazela says of the choice, “Our students should not consider the space outside of our stalls as private within the multiuser restrooms.” This was directed towards a district policy that states that “private changing areas” be provided to students. His response indicated that the entire bathroom was not a private space, only the space within the stalls.

SWSD board directors approved the windows as a safety measure against students doing drugs in the bathrooms or loitering. The installation has already cost $8,700. The board received this recommendation from the Independence Law Center (ILC). In response to privacy concerns, the ILC claims that they did not recommend windows be put in direct line of sight of those in the stalls, and that the doors be made longer for more privacy within the stall. The stalls have yet to be changed, however.

The ILC also recommended a policy that restricted the use of pronouns for students to only those associated with their “biological sex,” and that students must be called by their legal name or a recognizable nickname for that name. The SWSD board also took their recommendation on allowing parents to restrict books from their children.

ILC is part of the Pennsylvania Family Institute (PFI), which is tied to the far-right anti-LGBTQ+ advocacy group Family Research Council. Both groups have been designated as anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Firm. They have long been advocates against LGBTQ+ policy and have filed numerous briefs in anti-LGBTQ+ legal cases.

Parents of students were shocked at the policy. One parent, Jennifer Holahan, states, “It just raised a ton of concerns for me: privacy concerns, safety concerns, concerns for the kids who need those facilities. I feel like this is a deterrent to keep them from using them.” Many felt that it was targeted towards LGBTQ+ students, who are already a target. Executive director of LGBTQ+ advocacy group Rainbow Rose Center in York, PA, Eric Stiles felt similarly, stating that “There will be other students that use the windows, which means they can track each other (…) What does it mean for victims of violence that haven’t been able to come forward?”

Hopefully, the LGBTQ+ community and parents of students will be able to rally against these windows. Regardless of gender or sexual orientation, it is a massive privacy violation to have a window into a children’s restroom.