Gender-neutral housing is designed to surpass the concept of traditional gender roles thereby allowing students to choose roommates compatible with their personalities and living styles.
When I first heard that the new gender-neutral housing option hit the first page of The Post, I was excited for its publicity and hoped that it would educate the general student body on the progressive ideas that the program promises.
I then saw the article's accompanying illustration juxtaposing the female side of the room (which included a pink mirror, pink vase, pink frame and a bright orange bra) with the male side of the room (proudly displaying a naked cowgirl poster, football, blue speakers and a pile of dirty clothing).
Apart from the offensive objectification of women that the cowgirl poster implies, the idea of implying two opposite genders living on the opposite side of the room with opposing living styles is against gender-neutral housing's fundamental goal.
Gender-neutral housing hopes to move students away from the traditional and confining male/female gender binary depicted in this picture and closer to an understanding of individuals living their lives between the typical male and female gender roles - be it transgendered, genderqueer, or intersex.
I encourage my peers to learn more at ohio.edu/housing/resed/gnh_faq.cfm.
Jay Holloway is a junior studying music.
4 Opinion
Letter to the Editor
