This story was produced through Our Stories, Our Power, a community journalism program from Windy City Times and E3 Radio that gives emerging storytellers a platform to report stories for and about their communities.
After three hours in class, Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) student Allison faced a familiar dilemma: use a gendered restroom that didn’t match how she was presenting, or try to find an all-gender option that wasn’t always easy to locate.
“Because it’s either I [go] where I feel somewhat dysphoric using [the] bathroom, how I’m presenting at the time,” said Allison, who asked to keep her last name anonymous. “Or I just wait for three hours of being in class and all that, and then another hour driving home. … So it’s just like I said, it’s very unpleasant.”
Situations like Allison’s reflect a broader accessibility gap at Northeastern Illinois University, where a limited number of all-gender restrooms—and a lack of clear signage identifying them—can make it difficult for transgender, queer and nonbinary students to find facilities that meet their needs, she said.
While most campus buildings include at least one all-gender restroom, students said they are not always easy to find or access.
“I don’t even know how many or where [all the all-gender bathrooms] are,” Allison said.
NEIU efforts and ongoing access challenges
NEIU’s 2025-26 student handbook identifies at least eight all-gender restrooms on the university’s main campus. But students say access to those restrooms can still be difficult, citing unclear signage and facilities that are not consistently labeled as all-gender.
In a Nov. 28, 2023, email to students, NEIU announced the installation of signs identifying all-gender bathrooms across the main campus. But some students say the signs have not made the facilities easier to find.
Some of the signs include handwashing symbols and a toilet icon with an arrow pointing toward the restroom, but lack text identifying the space as “all-gender,” leaving students unsure whether the facilities are open to everyone, said Max Rivera, a transfer student at NEIU and president of the Pride Alliance.
Students said the issue is compounded by the lack of a campus map identifying the locations of all-gender bathrooms, forcing them to search or rely on word of mouth.
Rivera said students have discussed several potential improvements, including clearer signage explicitly labeling restrooms as all-gender, a centralized campus map identifying locations, and updates on planned multi-stall conversions.
Efforts to expand access have also faced delays, students said.
In 2025, flyers appeared announcing plans to convert restrooms on the third floor of Bernard J. Brommel Hall, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave., into all-gender, multi-stall bathrooms, Rivera said.
But the flyers were soon removed without explanation, and Rivera said students have not received an update on whether the project is moving forward.
Even where all-gender restrooms exist, accessibility remains an issue.
As of this spring, students said a single-occupancy all-gender restroom on the third floor of Brommel Hall could only be reached by a steep ramp that was difficult for wheelchair users. They also said the building’s elevator could not be called from the first floor, further limiting access.
Northeastern Illinois University did not respond to multiple requests for comment when this story was reported this spring.
Access, policy and what’s possible
Universities must also navigate building constraints, accessibility requirements and evolving state and federal guidance when updating facilities.
Illinois law requires single-occupancy restrooms in public buildings to be designated as all-gender and clearly labeled with inclusive signs.
The law also allows facilities to designate multi-occupancy restrooms as all-gender, but requires them to include floor-to-ceiling stall dividers with locking mechanisms and prohibits urinals.
Access to gender-inclusive restrooms can be especially important for transgender and nonbinary people, advocates say, particularly in environments like schools where students may spend hours at a time on campus.
Research has shown that when safe and accessible restroom options are not available, many people avoid using public facilities altogether.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that 67% of respondents reported “holding it” when they needed to use the bathroom, while 38% said they avoided eating or drinking to reduce the need to use these facilities.
At some universities, students and campus centers have taken steps to make gender-inclusive bathrooms easier to find and evaluate.
At the University of Illinois Chicago, students working with the university’s Gender and Sexuality Center created an interactive map of all-gender bathrooms that includes a five-point system rating how accessible each facility is—from easy to find and fully public to restricted or difficult to access.
The tool is designed to help students quickly identify restrooms that meet their needs, while also highlighting gaps in access across campus.
Applying a similar framework to NEIU’s main campus suggests that many restrooms would rank as difficult to find or access, students said.
While at least one restroom would likely qualify as easy to access, others are located in hard-to-navigate areas, lack clear signs, rely on elevators that are frequently out of service or are locked after business hours.
Rivera said a stronger commitment to gender-inclusive restrooms—especially single-occupancy ones—could improve accessibility for students across campus, not just those who are transgender or nonbinary.
Such facilities can support a wide range of needs, including parents caring for young children, students managing menstruation or medical needs, and people with disabilities or those who require assistance. Single-occupancy restrooms can also provide a quieter space for students who experience sensory overstimulation.
“I feel like gender-inclusive bathrooms are not just useful for people like me,” Rivera said. “It would be really useful for people who have to do childcare [and] have to pump. It would be really useful for the disabled students we have on campus. … It would be a net positive overall.”
About Our Stories, Our Power: Our Stories, Our Power is a six-week community journalism program led by Windy City Times and E3 Radio that trains emerging storytellers in reporting stories for and about their communities. The program is made possible by a grant from Press Forward Chicago, with support from Columbia College Chicago.
Interested in supporting a future cohort of Our Stories, Our Power? Contact Jake Wittich, managing editor of Windy City Times, at jake@windycitytimes.com.