All-Gender All-Inclusive

The option of all-gender housing may seem like an uncommon idea for many high schools across the nation, but it is actually being put into effect by many boarding schools today. In fact, Phillips Andover Academy will implement all-gender housing for the 2017-2018 school year. All-gender dormitories provide common rooms that act as public spaces, as well as bedrooms off of floors — not separated by gender — that solely act as private spaces for the students living in the dorm. This will allow students who don’t want to adhere to prescribed gender categorization to live in a space designed for all. All-gender housing is effective in embracing all boarding students on the campus. Why should Choate move in this welcoming, rational direction? 

Choate would benefit from all-gender housing. A part of Choate’s mission is to create a diverse and welcoming community for people of any background; adding all-gender housing would be a new and progressive way of including students who do not consider themselves followers of the gender binary system.

There may be students on our campus today who don’t identify as male or female, and there may be students in the future who don’t. These students likely feel restricted or uncomfortable with being placed in a dorm strictly for girls and boys. It is regressive for Choate to assume that every boarding student wants to be categorized as either male or female.

Sometimes living in single-sex housing restricts students from connecting with the opposite sex, as the number of rules surrounding visitation between members of opposite genders  in residential life often feel overwhelming.

In all-gender housing, students have the opportunity to connect with people of different genders in a more personal living space. They are able to see these roommates more frequently, establishing a more personal and emotional connection between the residents of the living space.

Alternative to the belief that this system solely accommodates students of the LGBTQ community, all-gender housing exists for all students.  Some students may only have friends who are of the opposite sex. For these students, it would make more sense to live in the same space as those friends. Some don’t want to be restricted to only making friends in the dorm with girls or guys. The concept of all-gender housing is all about making high school students feel comfortable in their living space.

The option of all-gender housing should be brought to Choate’s attention soon. Choate is already a diverse and welcoming community, but adding all-gender housing would be a  considerate, innovative way of supporting the student body. All-gender housing would build an unbreakable trust in our community and show our constant desire to provide a place where we accept all people.

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