Princeton University is under federal scrutiny following a Title IX complaint alleging sex-based discrimination through the school’s gender-neutral communal bathroom policy. The complaint, filed by the watchdog group Parents Defending Education, accuses Princeton of endangering student privacy and violating legal protections for female students on campus.
The filing targets two of Princeton’s dormitories—Yeh College and New College West—where all communal bathrooms are gender-neutral. Because students are randomly assigned to housing, many female students are reportedly forced into situations where they must share multi-user bathroom spaces with biological males. These facilities include showers, stalls, and open areas without sufficient privacy measures. The complaint states that girls have walked in on men using these restrooms, with gaps in stall doors and shower curtains compounding concerns.
Parents Defending Education argues this arrangement violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex-based discrimination at institutions receiving federal funds. The group also notes that Princeton’s bias and equity office treats sex and gender as interchangeable, basing housing policies on gender identity rather than biological sex, which undermines foundational legal protections.
Students may request private facilities, but only under narrow exceptions such as medical or safety conditions, limiting access for those with faith-based, moral, or deeply held religious objections. The complaint calls on the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to investigate and enforce sex-based protections immediately.
This case is part of a broader pushback against campus policies that disregard biological distinctions, especially as more schools eliminate female-only spaces in favor of gender ideology and controversial diversity initiatives.
