For the queer community at IIT-Delhi, new gender-neutral restrooms are a ‘big win’

“Earlier, I could never use men’s restrooms without feeling scared, and using women’s restrooms would leave me with a sense of gender dysphoria, but now, there is a safe space for me on campus,” says Ray (name changed on request), a 20-year-old non-binary student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, adding that the new gender-neutral restrooms on college premises have become their “favourite part of the campus”.

The restrooms, which were introduced three months ago by the college administration, are inclusive spaces for all genders. “This toilet may be used by any person regardless of their gender identity, expression or ability,” reads the signboard on the door. While three such toilets are currently available to students, fourteen more are in the pipeline and will be constructed soon, say students.

“Even public spaces like airports don’t have such restrooms,” points out Ray, who was assigned female at birth and identifies as masculine, but not necessarily male.

The restrooms are the result of a collaboration between Indradhanu, IIT-Delhi’s student-led queer collective, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which together worked on the project and got it approved by the administration. The initiative was pioneered by a former student, Vaivab Das, who was instrumental in envisioning and implementing it.

“We started working on the idea about two and a half years ago. We conducted surveys to determine how many male and female restrooms are already on campus, and identified how many gender-neutral washrooms are needed,” says a member of Indradhanu.

The recent graduate, who identifies as genderfluid, said they submitted a detailed report to the Student Affairs Council (SAC), after which it went to the Infrastructure Office for approval and implementation. Although the project took time, students say it was “well worth the wait”.

“Before the gender-neutral restrooms were made available, I would have to travel all the way to my hostel to relieve myself, as that was the most comfortable choice. Ever since the restrooms have come up, it has cut down my distance to a washroom by one-fourth,” the student says.

Indradhanu has been active on campus for the last 10 years, but was only formalised in 2021. Since then, the collective has been working on making the institute more accessible for the LGBTQIA+ community. At present, it is working on phase two of the restroom project. They also conduct awareness programmes, thematic dialogues and pride marches.

Tanish Rai, who served as SAC secretary for the first phase of the project, said it encountered some initial delays. “After Indradhanu surveyed the hostels and finalised a plan, there were some delays as the issue of space had to be resolved by the administration, but it worked out,” he said. Eventually, some pre-existing cisgendered restrooms were converted to gender-neutral ones.

“The students took the lead on the project and worked on it tirelessly until it came to fruition. The response from students has been very positive,” said Professor Angelie Multani, Dean of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

While Ray admits the new restrooms are a fair distance away from classrooms, they say it is preferable to walk awhile rather than use the cisgendered washrooms nearby. Meanwhile, Indradhanu in its second phase of the project has identified locations which are easier to access, and is in the process of getting approval for them.

Ray currently stays in a girls’ hostel, and as a result, continues to feel gender dysphoria on a daily basis, but says the gender-neutral toilets are a “big win” for the community, and the beginning of a long road to campus accessibility.