'Whatever. Just Wash Your Hands'

One school in Maple Ridge, B.C. is making its way around the internet for a simple bathroom sign:

Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary School in Maple Ridge has this sign on a bathroom door, that is completely gender neutral and accessible to all. The only thing they ask, is that you simply wash your hands.

According to the Canadian Press:

“That sign went up beside the gender-neutral bathroom at Samuel Robertson school last year and a small rainbow sticker was put in the corner of its door. But not many people noticed.

“We needed to promote that it was there,” says Aaron, a member of the school’s gay-straight alliance group, who asked that his last name not be published because he is still coming out as transgender to people in his life.

The 16-year-old says the school’s art teacher came up with the design from others like it posted on the Internet.

Different gender-neutral signs have been popping up on bathrooms around the world in response to transgender rights. A sign on washrooms at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto made a splash in August. Under the image of a person wearing half pants and a half dress, it said: “We don’t care.”

Aaron says the new sign in his school injects some humour while conveying the bathroom is for everyone.

And, so far, it’s turning heads.

Last week, Aaron saw people stopping in the hallway to take photos of the sign.

“They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh. That’s so cool!’ Like they’re so proud of our school for being able to come that far.”

The sign is also making rounds on Facebook and other social media sites, says Aaron.

And, maybe in the end, it’s keeping everyone a bit cleaner too.

“I always wash my hands,” Aaron says with a laugh.”

This is the perfect combination of inclusivity, humor and hygiene!