NIH Record - National Institutes of Health

First Gender-Inclusive Bathroom Opens on NIH Campus

Group of people assembled in Bldg. 31 hallway pointing to "all-gender bathroom" sign on wall
(L to r): Monique Robinson, strategist, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); Shauni Jones, architect; Cleshette Brooks, lead project officer, ORF; Dr. Karen Parker, director, Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office; Colleen McGowan, director, ORS; Lisa Hoffman, space management specialist, ORS; Kevin Williams, director, EDI

Photo:  Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

New bathroom - sinks, mirrors on one side and stalls with tall doors on the other
Inside the new all-gender bathroom

Photo:  Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

Group stands at bathroom entrance with large scissors to cut the ribbon.
Williams, McGowan, Brooks and Parker cut the ribbon.

Photo:  Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

The restrooms on the first floor of Bldg. 31B have re-opened as gender-inclusive bathrooms. Construction had begun in the fall of 2023.

“This is the first gender-inclusive bathroom at NIH,” said Office of Research Services Director Colleen McGowan during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It gives people a safe space and to celebrate who they are.”

The restrooms are located just outside the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control “badging office” next to the elevators. McGowan said one of the first things new hires will now see after they receive their badges is NIH’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA).

The NIH Record

The NIH Record, founded in 1949, is the biweekly newsletter for employees of the National Institutes of Health.

Published 25 times each year, it comes out on payday Fridays.

Assistant Editor: Eric Bock
Eric.Bock@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)

Staff Writer: Amber Snyder
Amber.Snyder@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

National Institutes of Health
9000 Rockville Pike

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (link is external)