Gender-neutral restrooms rising in Wis.

MILWAUKEE , June 9 (UPI) -- Wisconsin activists advocating gender-neutral restrooms say numerous college campuses and department stores have installed gender-neutral facilities.

Quinn Bennett, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student who was born female but lives as a male, said school administrators were receptive to his argument that the gender-neutral facilities are easier for transgender and cross-dressing people to use, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Monday.

"It's very unfortunate when you have to defend your decision to use a restroom," Bennett said.

The Milwaukee location was one of several UW campuses to install gender-neutral bathrooms, which are typically single-occupancy facilities with locking doors.

However, Julaine Appling, chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Family Council, criticized the move toward more gender-neutral restrooms, which she said her organization believes amplifies the risk of sexual assaults.