Gender neutral toilets at the Barbican London

Was umming-and-awing about buying some concert tickets to the barbican this december. Decided against. The loos there have always been awful, worse in winter with coats etc. Decided this was the final straw. Shame.

Personally, I'm not sure if I'd mind an actual 'powder room' being available to anyone who wanted to prink in front of a mirror. That (to my mind) is a 'gendered' activity whereas loos are, and should remain, segregated by sex.

The things is that those rooms made a whole secluded, safe space for doing private, womens' things, not just preening.

Some large department shops may still have a large mirrored room separated from actual lines of ladies' cubicles.

Personally, I'm not sure if I'd mind an actual 'powder room' being available to anyone who wanted to prink in front of a mirror. That (to my mind) is a 'gendered' activity whereas loos are, and should remain, segregated by sex.

Probably get their own loo built.

What happens if one of their über wealthy, male account holders suddenly identifies as a woman?

I can't even begin to imagine them asking the female ME patrons of Horrids to pee in the same room as a man.

Harrods's not going to make all their rich female patrons use unisex loos as in stalls.

Yes, Spartacus there could be attendants in uniforms I think.

In one Ladies',abroad, I saw real powder puffs. (Boxes of loose face powder used to have very soft 'puffs' in the 'Power Room'.) There was a luxurious carpet too.

The relevance is that these really were little havens for women for privacy, peace and chat.

Some large department shops may still have a large mirrored room separated from actual lines of ladies' cubicles.

What about the London shops like Harrods, Dickens and Jones and so forth? Do they still have these? It might be worth writing go them in advance of them feeling they must give way to the pressure to make their 'Ladies' available to men. We could say please don't - please supply some safe gender neutral ones separately, for trans people to use safely, but keep the traditional womens' havens as they are.

Kinddogstail .. I remember those... Maybe? The chairs used to be used by those who breastfed, although being tiny myself I didn't know what it was of course. I remember the scent. Wasn't it eau de cologne of sorts? Something like 4711? All very vague, but I remember them being very posh. Lots of ladies with packages tied up in string? And boxes? And an attendant in white or pale pink, looking like a nurse?

Used gender neutral toilets with DD yesterday- typically the lock was broken and 2 elderly men tried the door while we were in there. They were more embarrassed than me to be fair. But they really have got to keep on top of maintenance better if this is the way it's going.

I wonder if anyone knows of a nicely written, succinct template letter explaining the importance of women's spaces? Certainly I would be happy to post and/or email such a letter (repeatedly, if necessary) to places that have eradicated or sidelined women's spaces, such as toilets (or those that we think might be likely to in the near future).

I suggest we should be brave and start a protest by actually peeing in on mass in front of doors or queues where there is no ladies, but there is a gents.
Being female and women we may find that too unlady-like to really do though.

Good article www.feministcurrent.com/2017/04/12/inclusivity-priotrity-let-men-make-washrooms-gender-neutral-savetheladies/

Also, btl pretty good.

Used a unisex loo yesterday for first time - was ok but a big family place for kids so mostly women and kids anywway. Did notice as i was washing my hands there was a seperate area "gents - urinals". This whole thread immediately came to mind.

Thank god my kids are older and aren't in the same cubicle with me anymore. "Mum, mum - that's a big poo - well done!", " mum, mum - why have you got hair on your bum!" - as Dave next door guffaws loudly.

Ding

Everyone i know squat over, not sit on a dirty public toilet.

The other thing you can do is tear off strips of paper and carefully lay them along the seat on each side, with another bit across the front, then carefully sit down so as not to 'puff' the paper off by the movement of sitting.

You can also buy special paper covers in small, travel packets.
www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=paper+lavatory+covers&tbm=shop&spd=12056764155256713831

Think of those lovely "Ladies" which used to be called Powder Rooms, with scent bottles with those little puffer sprays, tissues in special containers, enormous mirrors, luxurious carpets and chairs and a special attendant.

Or a wonderful, very different sort of Ladies there used to be in Paddington, with a certain attendant who was always there, year after year, and who may have had a cat, I think.

These places were special havens for women.

It would be very nice if they came back, let alone nice to just keep the idea of a Ladies in the first place even if there are some gender neutral ones in addition for some people.

There's a #savetheladies hashtag for this on Twitter if anyone wants to use it.

I got banned from my uni's SU nightclub in the late 80s for using the mens loos (to avoid the ladies queue). I stuck my head in first and asked if anyone in there minded, they didn't, so I went in. Presumably someone wasn't happy though, as security banned me (although they were happy enough for me to pay my money on the door the following week ).

I have been in men's toilets to clean them years ago, and the sods in a that place deliberately used to walk in to wind us female cleaners up, even with signs on the doors!
The only time I have used a men's toilet was at a Bruce Springsteen concert, and that was desperately needed

I have just contacted the Barbican to complain. Here's the link for anyone else who wants to:

www.barbican.org.uk/contactus

In tonight's London Evening Standard.

Sorry, I sent that too soon. There should have been two sentences. My concern is that they should be: 1. Joined to a visible public space. 2. Cleaned frequently