A year ago, administrators at Whitmer High School recognized the need for gender-neutral restrooms, so they acted by opening two in the West Toledo school.

“Really, it was as simple as that for us,” Principal Kristie Martin said.

Ms. Martin said two single-use faculty-lounge facilities were labeled, simply, as “restrooms,” making them available to all — transgender students, students with special needs, staff, or anyone who wanted a little extra privacy.

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From a long-term perspective, there have been notable gains for transgender Americans in recent years — more support from major employers, better options for health care and sex-reassignment surgery, a growing number of municipalities that bar anti-transgender discrimination.

But there were two setbacks in the past five months that hammered home to transgender people the challenges that they still face.

Last November, by a decisive margin, voters in Houston repealed a municipal nondiscrimination ordinance that provided protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. 

On March 23, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a law that barred Charlotte and other cities in the state from implementing similar ordinances.

In both cases, conservatives opposed to the ordinances focused their arguments on bathroom access — contending that allowing transgender people to use public bathrooms based on their gender identity would expose women and girls to discomfort and possible molestation.

The issue, though, has been long on the radar of activists in the LGBT community.

“It’s definitely not just now,” said Nick Komives, executive director of Equality Toledo. “This is an issue that was recognized decades ago as a problem.”

‘Pretty safe’

For at least two years, students involved with Spectrum UT, an LGBT organization at the University of Toledo, have worked with administrators to create gender-neutral restrooms in residence halls and the student union.

LaVelle Ridley, a transgender UT student and member of Spectrum, identifies neither as male nor female but uses male restrooms.

“It’s not so much, for me, because of safety,” Ridley said, “It’s simpler that way. There’s not as much harassment if I use the bathroom people think I should be using.”

Using restrooms on campus, for transgender students, is “pretty safe,” Ridley said.

University of Toledo administrators would not agree to be interviewed about this issue, but sent a written statement:

“The University of Toledo is committed to treating every person with respect and equality without regard to sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. All persons at UT are able to use restroom facilities according to their identity, or they can use one of more than two dozen public and individual gender-neutral restrooms located across UT’s campuses.”

Dave Kielmeyer, a Bowling Green State University spokesman, said there are gender-neutral restrooms on campus in newly renovated and constructed buildings.

“Any new buildings and any major renovations will be providing gender-neutral or restroom options,” Mr. Kielmeyer said.

Mr. Kielmeyer said that some single-use restrooms, like those found in the College of Education and Human Development, were converted to be available to anyone.

“We are committed to diversity and inclusion,” Mr. Kielmeyer said.

Designating single-toilet restrooms by gender doesn’t make sense, Mr. Komives said.

“One has a urinal, yeah, OK, but if you’re a woman or a trans woman, are you going to walk into that restroom and say, ‘Oh there’s a urinal here. I couldn’t possibly pee in this restroom?’” he said. “If I’m waiting for a bathroom, and the women’s is open but there’s someone in the men’s taking a while, do I really have to stand here and wait? What’s the harm?”

The goal, Mr. Komives said, is for transgender people to be able to use a gendered restroom that correlates to how an individual identifies. Doing so makes using the restroom safer for the transgender population.

“The risk is a transgender woman, who was biologically born male, going into a men’s restroom ... but presenting as a woman,” he said. “It’s awkward for everyone in the restroom. It’s super awkward for the trans person, who now has an increased risk of being beaten up, or being attacked in some way.”

Brian Murphy, chief of staff at Toledo Public Schools, said the district doesn’t have a policy on restroom use, but students are allowed to use the restroom that most aligns with their gender identity.

“We’re a progressive district and conscious of our community,” Mr. Murphy said.

If a student or staff member preferred a more private facility, those are accommodated as well, Mr. Murphy said.

Bedford Schools has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education since December for possible discrimination against transgender students.

U.S. Civil Rights Office department spokesman David Thomas and Bedford superintendent Mark Kleinhans declined to comment, citing the open investigation.

An online petition circulated in January was addressed to Mr. Kleinhans, who said he was unaware of it. Student Kloie Burtscher began the petition, which has more than 500 signatures and states, “This petition will hopefully help Transgender students be able to use the bathroom of their choice, and not have to use a private restroom/​health room bathroom.”

It’s unclear if bathroom usage is the investigation’s focus.

‘Wake-up call’

The outcome of the vote in Houston prompted many post-mortems among LGBT activists: What went wrong? How should the bathroom-access argument be countered in the future?

“It’s been an alarming wake-up call since November,” said Dru Lavasseur, Transgender Rights Project director for the LGBT-rights group Lambda Legal. “We need to prioritize bringing transgender people into the movement in leadership positions, with transgender voices leading the way.”

There has been widespread agreement that a future strategy should be to enlist more transgender people to share their personal experience — a tactic that was successful for gays and lesbians during the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage.

“In most parts of this country, people don’t know a trans person,” said Kasey Suffredini, a transgender attorney who’s director of the new Transgender Freedom Project. “The work in front of us is to put a face on who the trans community is. That’s the way that we win.”

Target targeted

Earlier this month Target, in a written statement, noted that the company allows “transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”

The statement ignited a firestorm debate, drawing ire and admiration.

The American Family Association, a Mississippi-based organization which promotes fundamentalist Christian values, has called for a “boycott of Target after the retail giant said it would allow men identifying as women to use the women’s restrooms and dressing rooms in their stores.” A petition drive by the association against the policy has more than 978,000 signatures.

Kroger is offering multiple unisex bathrooms in its stores. 

A contention of those who believe that restrooms should be strictly segregated by gender at birth, as seen in ads, is that men will go into women’s restrooms, posing a risk to women and girls, Mr. Komives said.

“They don’t portray transgender individuals as they are, right? They’re showing a shady-looking while male, usually, in sunglasses and a hat going into a girls’ restroom, and saying, ‘This guy is going in there to rape your daughter.’ That is their core message,” he said. “They only use this scare tactic. It is pure transphobia.”

Information from The Blade’s news services contributed to this report.

Contact Taylor Dungjen at tdungjen@theblade.com, or 419-724-6054, or on Twitter @taylordungjen.

First Published May 1, 2016, 4:00 a.m.