To ask why women would be uncomfortable with unisex bathrooms

Had to use a unisex toilet at a recent work event where my male boss was in the cubicle next to me and we came out at the same time washing our hands, really nice bloke have nothing against him, but I can't describe how uncomfortable it made me and I can't really explain why, almost a vulnerability? Despite him not being at all threatening.

This.

Any of us who have worked in bars and restaurants know this.

People saying women's are just as bad need to visit 10-20 male and female public bathrooms and report back. They'd be horrified about how much worse the male ones are, I was genuinely shocked.

A small cafe means it's very hard for someone to sneak in and assault you because theyre not far away, and they're far more likely to be clean. It's an entirely different scenario.bit different than public loos, busy loos or places where people are likely to be drunk

It's not ideal, but it's not as dangerous as a group of cubicles off a corridor. However, there's still the problem of allowing strange males to access a space used by females, as shown in the case of the Dundee school where a boy secreted a camera inside the cubicle of a unisex toilet set-up.

If you use this theory then my bed is gender neutral- does that mean anyone can come in it?
A single use toilet in a private home or in a very public place like an aeroplane are not the same.

I think taking the toilet out of the equation, I'm not actually keen on sharing enclosed spaces, with only one exit, with strange men. I wouldn't stand in a cupboard in a small room with a couple of cupboards in it, and random men walking in. Drunk men in particular aren't a favourite experience of mine.

I'm not bothered by my work ones, or cafes with one room that opens into a public space.

I am disabled and all the bathrooms I go to are floor to ceiling. The have a pull rope for an emergency and most likely we are the ones who will need it most. It’s no extra cost to install these as all the electrics are there and the systems (I have fitted a lot of them). Individual bathrooms are the way to go. I don’t feel comfortable doing by ablutions with gaps at all. Let’s make it better for everyone.

@curtaintwitcher78

Whenever you go to the toilet in a small cafe/restaurant where there's only one toilet, it's unisex.

And if there is on toilet, you aren't likely to be sharing the space with someone at the same time. And likely to be one door between the toilet space and the cafe / restaurant main area where other people are.

Can you not see the difference between that and unisex toilets with multiple cubicles, including ones that may be more separate to the nearest public area, where you will be in much closer proximity to other people using the facilities within the toilets?

Privacy.

Abso-fucking-lutely.Any woman who can argue against this needs their head testing. ❤️

as someone who used to clean pub loos. the mens are 100% WORSE than the ladies toilets, every time.

Go in the men's then? If they're as bad as women's in terms of cleanliness then it doesn't matter. In fact the men's bogs can all be made unisex because it doesn't matter and the women's can remain as toilets for biological women.

What about the first example I gave?

It's the penises. That's the problem

An this

if they're single room, lockable bathrooms, i don't care.. i used disabled toilets (yes i'm disabled) and they're unisex.

Public loos with multiple stalls i am uncomfortable with.. it's not that i mind sharing a bathroom, but i attend an event that has male, female and unisex public loos and well.. the unisex and male toilets are constantly filthy, and i have to say, most years there are complaints, to the point the organisers have to tell people to remember to flush and leave the loo how they'd like to find it.

Strangely enough you don't tend to get the same issue with disabled toilets.. people are generally a bit more considerate about leaving them tidy.

Yes this

I was assaulted in a mixed sex facility. They’re not safe for women. They’re also smellier and dirtier and less dignity.

Oh, stop being ridiculous. In your own home, you're not sharing with strangers.

As well as the hygiene/smell issues and the vulnerability aspect, I think there's also a culture of the ladies toilets being a bit of a safe haven. I can't count the amount of times I've used the ladies toilets to have a little cry, a heart to heart with a friend, take a breather, fix my make up, put deodorant on, pull my tights up, adjust my clothing etc. None of which I would feel comfortable doing with men present.

My worst experience in a unisex cubicle toilet facility was at a theatre. I rushed into the toilet a few minutes before the act was about to start. At the same time as I was leaving a man did the same. He prepared himself as he no doubt did before going into male only toilets. Needless to say I was shocked when he headed towards me with his trousers undone removing his appendage before entering the cubicle.

Went to a music evening in a Minster recently where all the toilets are now , floor to ceiling with basin in, one long row with entrance at one end and exit at the other. What was hilarious was all the confused men pushing past to look for urinals and being sent back to the end of the queue. They did not like having to stand in line at all.

In principle though, there is a high yuk factor. After the seat and the floor, consider how many men exit a toilet while out without washing their hands.

Whenever you go to the toilet in a small cafe/restaurant where there's only one toilet, it's unisex.
When your friend goes to the toilet in your house, it's unisex.

Yup.

Both scenarios that you describe have happened in the east of Scotland. Attempted rape in a toilet cubicle and a camera set up by a voyeur in a school toilet.