UC Davis eliminates trans language for $6M 'all gender identities' 'universal locker rooms' but keeps same design
The University of California, Davis has begun a renovation project to create universal locker rooms 'inclusive' of 'all gender identities.'
Amid backlash, the university changed the language used to describe the project on the university website, but the construction design remains the same.
The University of California, Davis, has begun work on “universal locker rooms” for “all gender identities.” After facing backlash, the university stripped transgender-based language in the project, but has kept the same plans in place.
The university initially advertised its “ARC Locker Room Renovation Project” as creating new “Universal Locker Rooms” that are “inclusive” of “members of all gender identities,” as seen from an archived version of the Feb. 10 announcement. 
The announcement, however, drew backlash from students and others, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, leading to the school revising its language but not the actual project.
”Hey California Dads, did you vote for this?” California Republican Associate Delegate Elizabeth Barcohana wrote on X on March 4.
Hey California Dads, did you vote for this? https://t.co/6j2oI1HEKK
— Elizabeth Barcohana (@E_Barcohana) March 4, 2025
”This is so wrong,” UC Davis employee Beth Bourne wrote on X regarding the “universal locker rooms,” garnering over 280,000 views. She also shared screenshots of student concerns on Reddit, stating: “Good to see women students pushing back. It’s too bad women’s rights to safety, privacy and dignity were never a consideration by the @ucdavis design team.”
Female student at @ucdavis expresses her concern “Women already have to worry about the men looking at them when they are working out, and adding men to their locker room is just wrong.”
Here is the Reddit post with comments: https://t.co/09jjSdioWY pic.twitter.com/nIp7RZzA0D— Beth Bourne (@bourne_beth2345) March 4, 2025
Following the controversy, UC Davis updated the page, which no longer references “universal locker rooms” or “all gender identities,” instead advertising the project as an effort to “modernize the locker room facilities into a space that offers more privacy for all members.”
Despite the change in language, however, the floor plan from the archived version of the announcement is identical to the floor plan found in the current version, showing that there has been no change to the actual design of the new locker rooms.
The design, while keeping separate toilets for men and for women, also includes “gender-inclusive toilets,” as well as shower and changing areas that appear to offer common access to both men and men, including anyone who might claim that they “identify” as a different gender.
The project cost totals $5.97 million and is projected to open this fall.
UC Davis is not the first California campus to open a universal locker room.
The University of California, Berkeley opened a universal locker room in 2018, which the university proudly states is “the first of its kind in California.”
UC Berkeley describes the universal locker room as a “safe space” for “members of all gender identities,” and states that “the creation of this locker room is also aligned to Berkeley values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
At the state level, California legislators are debating the issue of men in women’s spaces.
This week, California Democrats voted against a bill, AB-844, that would “require that a student’s participation in sex-segregated athletic programs and activities and use of facilities, including bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, overnight accommodations, and student housing at a postsecondary institution be based upon the student’s sex.”
Assembly Member Bill Essayli introduced this legislation to “maintain fairness among athletes, protect equal opportunities for athletes of both sexes, and protect the dignity, privacy, and safety of students.”
“79% of Americans believe boys should NOT be allowed to play in girls [sic] sports, but out-of-touch Sacramento Democrats choose radical gender politics over common sense,” Assemblyman Essayli wrote on X.
🚨Assembly Democrats just BLOCKED my bill AB 844 which would protect girls in sports and in locker rooms. 79% of Americans believe boys should NOT be allowed to play in girls sports, but out-of-touch Sacramento Democrats choose radical gender politics over common sense.
Where is… pic.twitter.com/DFCXM2Qj9Y— Bill Essayli (@billessayli) March 24, 2025
This vote comes on the heels of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s comments calling men competing in women’s sports “deeply unfair” on his podcast.
Gov. Newsom invited conservative activist and Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk on the debut episode of his podcast, where Kirk asked the question: “Would you say no men in female sports?”
Gov. Newsom responded: “Well, I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair.”
Campus Reform has reached out to UC Davis and California Assembly Member Bill Essayli for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
