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PARK CITY — Park City High School recently opened what's believed to be the state's first gender neutral restroom.
Tori Vipond, a senior, walks the halls, goes to class, washes up and flushes the toilet just like any other student at the school. But, Vipond said, "I don't identify as male or female." Choosing which restroom to use has been a challenge.
"I usually just hold it until I go to the restroom at home," Vipond said.
Student council member Adam Snyder said, "We really wanted to make a publicized restroom that everyone knew they could use if they felt more comfortable doing so."
He got the idea after reading about college campuses with gender neutral private restrooms.
"I thought, well, transgender students don't just exist on college campuses," he said.
Snyder, with support from the Gay Straight Alliance club, took the idea to the Park City School Board. Park City High principal Bob O'Connor said, "I don't want a kid being fearful of using a restroom in this school, so they have a safe place to go."
The small sign on the restroom that went up last week has a big impact on many LGBT students.
"It's like really nice to have it there and just be able to go there and not have to worry about it," Vipond said.
O'Connor said other than a few critical comments online about the new restroom, all the students, staff and faculty appear very accepting of the new facility.
