Twelve universities across the United States, including Columbia University, have been criticized by a conservative advocacy group for an increase in all-gender facilities on their campuses. The group, CriticalRace.org, an offshoot of the nonprofit Legal Insurrection, argues that the expansion of these facilities, which include bathrooms and locker rooms open to all genders, raises safety concerns and potentially infringes upon the rights of women to have single-sex spaces.
Kemberlee Kaye, managing editor of CriticalRace.org, stated that the institutions are "no longer places where ideas are debated, where intellectual furtherance exists, instead, they’re dangerous and hostile to the point that women are not guaranteed single sex safe spaces to shower or use the facilities." She added, "No woman should be forced to change in front of a man — this is not and should not be controversial."
The study identified five Ivy League schools—Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania—along with UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Polytechnic Humboldt, Carnegie Mellon, Florida State, Stanford, Stony Brook, and Villanova. According to the report, some of these universities have more than 50 all-gender facilities. Stanford, for instance, designates multi-stall restrooms with enhanced privacy features as gender-inclusive.
The group's concerns are partly based on a 2023 study by the Correctional Service of Canada, which reportedly found that 44% of transgender female inmates had convictions for sex-related offenses. The CriticalRace.org study raises questions about potential Title IX violations, with Legal Insurrection founder William Jacobson suggesting that the expansion of gender-inclusive facilities could conflict with federal law regarding sex discrimination.
"No decision has been made but certainly we are investigating potential Title IX violations," Jacobson told The Post. "This raises significant Title IX issues and possible violations, particularly in light of the recent Supreme Court interpretation of Title IX regarding boys in girls’ sports. ‘Gender identity’ does not override female rights as a matter of federal law."
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funding. Recently, the Supreme Court upheld state-level restrictions on biological males competing in girls' sports, even if they identify as transgender. Jacobson argued that "Female spaces are being invaded in the cause of gender identity."