Quebec Policy Restricting Gender-Neutral Bathrooms in Schools Enters Into Effect

Quebec’s new rules banning the construction of shared gender-neutral bathrooms in schools come into effect on May 1. The government directive requires that all new bathrooms and locker rooms in schools across the province be designated for either boys or girls. School service centres, however, do have to ensure any student who wishes to use an individual universal bathroom has access to one. Education Minister Bernard Drainville issued the directive after news that a high school in Rouyn-Noranda, in the province’s northwest, was starting work to provide gender-neutral bathrooms to its students for the 2024-25 school year. The government created an expert panel in December to propose recommendations by next winter on how the province can accommodate gender diverse people....