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Non-binary colleague using disabled toilet

1000 replies

DefendingPan · 22/12/2024 10:14

Where I work there’s employee male and female toilets, customer male and female toilets and one customer disabled toilet.

This colleague is non-binary, is not disabled, and uses the disabled toilet/ baby change (with their own Radar key) because they “don’t feel comfortable) using either the male or female toilets.

I mentioned to my boss that I didn’t think this was appropriate and got accused of transphobia and threatened with discipline. I was made to feel like I was being offensive and discriminatory for bringing it up.

We have many elderly customers and many young families who all also need to use it.

Was I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
Hunglikeapolevaulter · 22/12/2024 10:26

And as usual, people with real disabilities are bottom of the pile compared to the "special people".

sonjadog · 22/12/2024 10:25

Sounds like you disapprove of them and want to make some kind of point about this. How much time are they even using in this bathroom? Unless they do actually have some kind of health issue, probably no more than a few minutes a day. Just leave them alone and get on with your job.

BitOfAMessTryingMyBest · 22/12/2024 10:25

MissMoneyFairy · 22/12/2024 10:24

If they have a radar key they are entitled to use the toilet. For a few minutes a day does it really matter, are you the pee monitor.

Anyone can buy a radar key from Amazon

Livinginaclock · 22/12/2024 10:25

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mitogoshigg · 22/12/2024 10:25

If the employee toilets are single cubicles then why not just make them unisex to start with? Honestly it seems nobody can win now! The person has a perfectly reasonable solution, using the only designated unisex toilet and you are moaning ... no wonder employers are opting for the unpopular unisex toilets all around approach. And anyway, it would be illegal not to have a disabled toilet for staff use so it must be for everyone

eightIsNewNine · 22/12/2024 10:25

FourEyesGood · 22/12/2024 10:18

Until there is a unisex toilet or one dedicated to those who are non-binary, there is nowhere else for this person to go.

Really, how does it affect you? It’s not as if they’re in there all day, is it? (If they are, that’s a bigger issue.)

To the correct toilet according to their sex?
Non-binary is their gender identity, ok, nice, but they still have binary sex underneath.

Moreover, it looks from the updates that there is one employees M and one employees F toliet accessed from the corridor, not a room with semi-separated cubicles, so going for disabled one in this case is just a performance.

Hunglikeapolevaulter · 22/12/2024 10:25

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Scabetty · 22/12/2024 10:24

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Think OP tried making that suggestion and failed so next solution?

PinkiOcelot · 22/12/2024 10:24

I could see your point if there was a huge queue of disabled people waiting to go in. Probably wouldn’t have even given it a thought to report it though.

Katy232425 · 22/12/2024 10:24

Mind your own business. You have no entitlement to intervene and no right to know your colleague’s disability status (or lack of). The fact you’re so interested in which toilet someone uses is frankly a bit creepy.

(I have a radar key, and a child with an invisible disability which necessitates using disabled facilities on occasion. I’m extremely bored of other people with no skin in the game policing which toilet we use.)

MissMoneyFairy · 22/12/2024 10:24

If they have a radar key they are entitled to use the toilet. For a few minutes a day does it really matter, are you the pee monitor.

Simonjt · 22/12/2024 10:23

Hang on, your place of work only has an accessible toilet for customers, so they’re actively discriminating against potential employees who have a disability, along with customers who have children, yet your colleague is the issue?

RandomUserName96 · 22/12/2024 10:23

Of course you're BU.

Are they not called 'Accessible Toilets' rather than disabled now?

BlueMum16 · 22/12/2024 10:23

DefendingPan · 22/12/2024 10:18

Use either of the two single occupancy employee toilets. They have male and female written on the door but are identical single occupancy units and it’s not uncommon for people to use the “wrong” one when the other is occupied.

You employer should change the single toilets from male/female to just toilets by removing the signage . This will allow anyone to use each toilet.

This isn't on your colleague to resolve.

DonningMyHardHat · 22/12/2024 10:23

Well they can’t win can they? Someone is going to have something to say whatever toilet they choose to use.

It’s an accessible toilet, not a disabled toilet. Get over it.

kindlyensure · 22/12/2024 10:23

Also, how many times are they going to the loo? Enough to cause a queue for others? I mean, what does this really look like day-to-day?

FiveTreeHill · 22/12/2024 10:23

If the others are single occupancy then yes your colleague is being a dick. And could literally just use either

I find the concept of non binary really annoying, and borderline offensive. But generally I would prefer them to use the disabled than say a man using the women's. But if single occupancy then they are just attention seeking aren't they?

Allergictoironing · 22/12/2024 10:23

You would have an issue with a man using the ladies, and with a woman using the men's toilets. If someone is non-binary they consider themselves both/neither, so the only really appropriate place for them to use is the only unisex loo available.

I also notice you said "employee male and female toilets, customer male and female toilets and one customer disabled toilet.". Surely you should have said "and one disabled toilet for both"?

nonbinaryfinery · 22/12/2024 10:22

DefendingPan · 22/12/2024 10:21

FYI this person is not disabled and does not consider themself to have a disability

You are being ridiculous.

DefendingPan · 22/12/2024 10:22

kindlyensure · 22/12/2024 10:21

Can you put a 'unisex' or 'all genders' sign on the single occupancy male toilet?

The manager could change the two gendered employee toilets by just taking the male and female signs off but I can’t

OP posts:
Mumofmarauders · 22/12/2024 10:22

Tooes · 22/12/2024 10:15

I don't blame them, the disabled toilets tend to be be much nicer.

As the parent of a disabled child, I'm begging people to not use disabled toilets unless you are disabled. My son is 12 with a mental age of 14 months and therefore still in nappies, but no understanding about waiting and it's so difficult when disabled toilets are full of people who just think it's a nicer experience but could easily use the regular ones (no, you can't always tell to look whether someone is disabled. But sometimes people just say it openly and it's so selfish).

PoppyFleur · 22/12/2024 10:22

They are using the toilet they feel most comfortable in. I don’t see what the problem is and I certainly wouldn’t have reported this. Somehow this post has made me think of the film Hidden Figures.

rainydaysandrainbows · 22/12/2024 10:22

Why are you ok with young families who on the face of it may have no disabilities using the disabled toilet? Also if it's where baby changing facilities are, why doesn't your work have these in other toilets?

Codlingmoths · 22/12/2024 10:22

DefendingPan · 22/12/2024 10:16

They do in fact not feel that they do

This is a terrible sentence, could mean either two opposite things! That they do have a disability in fact, or that they don’t feel they have a disability.
honestly I couldn’t get worked up about this. I am glad they don’t feel comfortable in the toilets of the gender they identify as, more of this please. While you’re seething, think of disabled people. Who finally got bathrooms only to have baby change tables put in and them become parent and baby too, and now they are the general third toilet. Go do something positive for disabled people in your job today :)

Samcro · 22/12/2024 10:22

nonbinaryfinery · 22/12/2024 10:21

Fyi nonbinary disabled people actually exist.

of course they do, but that didn't seem to be what the thread was about.

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