Forced bathroom sharing ended at Ohio college after legal notice

Conservatives and those who support separate spaces based on biology scored a fast victory when an Ohio school quickly backed away from its gender policy following a legal appeal.

Kenyon College in Ohio has abandoned its policy of forcing women to share restrooms with men, which violated both Title IX and state law, America First Legal reports.

The legal group filed state and federal complaints against the college last week, asking for an investigation. Just five days later, it announced the school had changed its policies to conform with the law. 

The controversy centered around whether it could force women to share multi-occupancy restrooms with men. 

The private, liberal arts college had initially applied Ohio’s law against shared bathrooms primarily to residence halls and athletic facilities, AFL said in a release, but after a requested opinion from state Attorney General David Yost, it agreed to enforce it “anywhere on campus.” 

The school said it updated its policies “to reflect clarification from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office,” and will now label all bathrooms on campus exclusively for men or women. 

The legal group applauded the change. 

“Men and women should not share restrooms – it’s simple, and it’s the law,” said AFL attorney Will Scolinos. “Kenyon College’s decision to flush its gender-neutral restroom policy will keep women safe when they are at their most vulnerable.” 

The school was in the news as recently as late 2023 for sponsoring a bus to take students off campus for sex change appointments.  

The twice-weekly bus was run through the school’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. That office is still listed on the school’s website, despite President Trump’s executive order threatening to withhold funds from schools that engage in DEI.