What are your thoughts on gender neutral toilets?

[Coffeeelover]

I am just curious to people’s thoughts on gender neutral toilets as they are becoming ever popular. Thoughts on hygiene, ease of use with children etc?

[SnuggyBuggy]

I personally wouldn't mind if it was a self contained room with a sink behind a heavy door. I would be very uncomfortable undressing in a unisex toilet with cubicles and would probably want someone to stand outside as a chaperone.

I will admit I'm a bit upright about toilets.

[NotWeavingButDarning]

We have unisex loos at work. 2 stalls in a room. Ime the men don't bat an eyelid but the women hate it. They're always grim and smelly and it makes changing tampons etc pretty hideous as it's blatantly obvious who's doing what.

[Coffeeelover]

Haha yes that’s true, I even get embarrassed changing in an open female changing room 🙈

[FuelledByButter]

Agree- self contained room opening onto a public area....so less chance of being trapped with a male person, would be ok with me. Like on trains.

[43percentburnt]

It’s fine If the toilets are self contained, lockable cubicles - like the individual ones found in a cafe for example. Each one containing a sanitary bin and wash basin I have no issues. In fact it may speed up going to the loo - alternatively it may just make everyone spend longer in queues.

If it’s just the current format turned into a free for all I don’t agree. I’d not be keen to pop into the loo in a deserted train/tube/bus station where you may go through several doors and shared spaces to reach the cubicle.

[DramaAlpaca]

I'd go out of my way not to use them.

[43percentburnt]

I do wonder if there are more places to urinate in male loos. Do they have the same number of loos plus urinals (giving them more facilities in effect) hence shorter queues. Or do they lose cubicles due to the need for urinal space?

[Cliveybaby]

I HATE THEM.
Men don't care, they can pee all over the floor anywhere. It's the women that have to step in pee all the time!
We have them at work now, after some pain in the bum non-binary person kicked up a fuss.
At least ours are single rooms though, would REALLY hate cubicles.

[SnuggyBuggy]

I think there are better ways of managing the opposite sex child issue, my local shopping centre has some children's sections with lower toilets and sinks, I would feel able to let DD use those alone at a younger age than a regular women's toilet.

[OneEpisode]

At my stage of life (post menopause, still fit and I’m tall & a tad scary looking) I’m not bothered at all. As a young mum leaving the cubicle door open because the pushchair didn’t fit in, I couldn’t have used the loos. Teen dd would have to go home to wee.

[starfishmummy]

My disabled son needs help so we use a lot of stand alone gender neutral disabled loos.

[Cliveybaby]

and what about if you're muslim? How are you supposed to do the ablutions?

[Glitteryfrog]

Really common in Berlin to have separate cubicles and shared hand washing space - just spent a weekend there.

There were unisex toilets in bars in Liverpool more than 15 years ago.

Doesn't bother me at all.

[AppleKatie]

They put a gender neutral sign on one of our loos at work (a school).

Trouble was it’s always been a unisex loo. The old sign just said ‘staff only’. Now the pupils all think they can use it ‘look miss the sign says ‘gender neutral: this toilet is for everyone!’

‘That’s as maybe, but it’s still not for you sonny jim!’

So in short... what I mean is that if properly thought out, and still afford proper privacy (so single rooms, don’t reduce overall access to toilets) fine. If not, a pain in the bum.

[CurbsideProphet]

I wouldn't like it. There would be stinking piss all over the floor and I wouldn't want to go into public toilets and be faced with a group of men, especially if I needed to change a tampon or towel.

[InfiniteSheldon]

Will I have to wash my mooncup out in a public sink? Will the seat be down? We will have seats? Will men still wee on the floor and if not how will you guarantee thus? how will we avoid standing in wee or worse sitting in it given its more likely in shared toilets? If I feel threatened, worried or in danger from men or a man where will I retreat knowing that only women and transwomen will be there?

[MyAuntyBadger]

I don't like them. I went to an Italian restaurant in Rochester last weekend that just had two gender neutral toilets; the food, service etc. were good but I won't go back because of the toilets.

Before I book a new restaurant again I'll ask about the facilities and if they're gender neutral I'll book somewhere that isn't.

[Coffeeelover]

Wow there are some really good opinions on here, thank you for answering. My personal feelings as a mum of a girl and boys 8 years and under is it’s quick and easy to go and I can take my eldest boy in without any funny looks but I really, really don’t like the urine on the floor and on the seat and possibly the walls and wish they would put some disinfectant of some type to clean the seat. Or maybe those self cleaning bathrooms!

[Coffeeelover]

InfiniteSheldon I did laugh out loud at the mooncup washing out comment🤣

[enoughisenough12]

Just a reminder for people in schools - the government has just issued a reminder that schools MUST provide sex segregated toilets for pupils aged 8 and over. So while schools can have some gender neutral toilets the law says they must have sex segregated ones as well (not matter what some organisations may try to tell them).

Here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/719398/Gender-separation-guidance.pdf

[InfiniteSheldon]

It not funny though is it?

[FuelledByButter]

How do you cope on trains if you don't use mixed sex toilets?
I have used intercity (is that even still a thing?) trains extensively recently and have not experienced pee on seats or floors of the toilets.
My local M&S have a mixed use loo and its fine too. Although obviously being M&S its very naice.

[Gwynfluff]

They are fairly common in HE Student Unions. I work in HE. Went to one place and getting to the cubicle involved walking past the urinals first - would not have wanted that in the place I work with male colleagues.

In Manchester bars in canal st - mixed toilets are common. I don’t mind if there is toilet roll and no piss on the seats - Unfortunately neither requirement was met. And actually these things only matter to those of us who have to sit on seats and wipe.

Actually, the queues form in Women’s toilets are due to us taking twice as long, clothing removal, wiping, periods. Used to be a bit of a feminist cause to ensure sufficient female toilets.

My preference would be sex segregated and then some gender neutral (which should not be the accessible toilet).

[Notenjoyingtheheat]

@MyAuntyBadger I am the same. I will have a restaurant by their toilets and would be very put off by unisex toilets.
I don't see why it is necessary to change a system that causes no problems. Everyone is so desperate to fix things that aren't broken nowadays.

[MrsBlaidd]

My daughter had to use them today in her new secondary school she'll be attending in September and she hates them.

Whilst they are private with floor to ceiling doors and they open out into a public space the sinks are in the public space too so there's no privacy when cleaning up which speaks volumes that the person who signed off the designs has never had a remotely messy period or suffered the indignity of having to clean up in front of other women let alone men too.

If this is the new norm they absolutely have to get it right and private wash basins needs to be part of that.