Gender Neutral Restrooms Created Throughout Campus
Gender neutral restrooms are now open throughout the New Orleans campus, thanks to
the combined efforts of the School of Graduate Studies Student Government Association
and campus leadership.
Jessica Cucinello-Ragland, President of the School of Graduate Studies SGA, said that
campus leadership recently announced the adoption of changes and policies requested
and advocated for by the SGA.
“Sex-segregated bathrooms can be difficult to navigate for transgender and gender
nonconforming individuals. This is a really big step in the right direction to provide
support and resources to LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff,” Cucinello-Ragland said.
There will now be 18 gender-neutral restrooms by the end of the project to change
the formerly gender-specific restrooms to gender inclusive.
“These restrooms will make our non-cisgender faculty, staff and students feel more
welcomed and demonstrate that LSU Health is inclusive,” Cucinello-Ragland said.
The decision to request the change stemmed from overlapping events and motivations.
Cucinello-Ragland attended an event at the School of Dentistry, and noticed the school
offered all-gender restrooms. About the same time, Dr. Todd Tartavoulle, Program Director
for Traditional BSN Program, mentioned in a presentation with Dr. Andrew Hollenbach,
Assistant Professor of Genetics, that the School of Nursing was proud to house several
gender-free restrooms. As an LGBTQ+ student themself, Cucinello-Ragland avoided the
campus restrooms and would wait until they returned home. “I wondered why the School
of Nursing gender-free restrooms weren’t more publicized,” Cucinello-Ragland said.
Cucinello-Ragland’s next step was to discuss the idea with Dr. Angela Amedee, Associate
Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, followed by a formal request on behalf of
the SGA that every building on the LSU Health New Orleans campus, as well as all future
buildings, house gender-neutral restrooms.
“The changes are happening quickly,” Cucinello-Ragland said. “I am working on getting
announcements related to the placements of these restrooms added to the monitors around
campus.”
Cucinello-Ragland said that future plans include the creation of a landing page on
the LSU Health website with a listing of all the resources available for LGBQ+ students,
faculty and staff.
Gender neutral restrooms can be found in the following locations (please note, one
or more of these may still be under renovation at press time):
• School of Nursing and Allied Health Building: 425, 501K, 623, 722, 821, 938, 1018
• School of Dentistry: Clinic 7303; Admin 1101A and 1101B
• Medical Education Building: 4229, 5248, 6244, 7253
• Mervin L. Trail CSRB Building: 440, 542, 641, 730