LOS ANGELES — For nearly two years, they gathered research. They listened to students. And in the end, the administrators of the Long Beach Unified School District drew a clear conclusion: Now was the time for a new kind of locker room, one that would give all students privacy in a space that's long been a source of teenage anxiety and dread.
Instead of the traditional separate spaces for boys and girls, the new aquatics center at Wilson High School would feature private stalls big enough for students to both shower and change in. The aim was to ensure safe access to the facilities for all students, regardless of gender identity or expression.
The plan was first presented to the board of education in August 2020, when parents and educators were mostly concerned with whether students would be able to return to campuses due to the pandemic. There was no vocal opposition to the locker room concept in a city where gender-neutral bathrooms were already commonplace.
