If the University were truly welcoming of all sexual preferences and associations, then "gender-neutral" housing would be an appropriate next step. Gender-neutral housing would make for a more welcoming campus environment for all students as well as recognize that the current social norm for many unmarried men and women is to live with members of the opposite sex.
The University has espoused its commitment to support students of all sexual orientations on campus as well as to increase residential housing options. Providing gender-neutral housing, though a radical change in policy, would not require serious restructuring of the existing room-draw system. Logically, there is no reason why mixed gender draw groups could not select a room together, just as they are now free to draw together in a group. Single-gender halls and entryways could continue to be drawn as they are now.
Princeton's notable lack of off-campus housing makes it particularly difficult for interested students to avoid the University's housing regulations. Students of all orientations are hard-pressed for alternatives to the system. It may be true that few students have expressed the desire for gender-neutral housing, but it need not be, and indeed is unlikely to become, a widespread phenomenon. In the meantime, the needs of even a handful of students deserve to be met on campus.
Furthermore, allowing couples to draw rooms together is not against current University policy. The current policy allows gay students in a relationship to live together. To defend gender-segregated housing with the argument that gender-neutral housing is potentially harmful to heterosexual couples is to undermine the value and legitimacy of gay relationships. This is surely not what the University hopes to accomplish.
Providing gender-neutral housing to freshmen is more complicated and should not be immediately implemented. One of the crucial aspects of the policy we propose is that students of any gender identity who choose to live with each other would make the decision together and trust each other enough to agree to the arrangement. These types of relationships cannot be formed before freshman year.
Gender-neutral housing is an easy step the University can take toward breaking down sexual stereotypes on campus. Such a policy would give students more options and make for more comfortable housing arrangements for the many students who want to live with their friends of the opposite sex or who do not define themselves by traditional social norms.
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