Everyman Cinemas and toilets for 'everyone', a woman's review. AIBU?

Some women’s toilets are gross, sure, but mixed/men’s are gross in a different way.

Firstly, male piss smells stronger/different - that’s a mammalian fact, and it’s as true for my DS and my DD as it is for greyhound Dog and Bitch.
When I used to run a pub it was near impossible to eradicate that male piss smell, despite the use of strong smelling disinfectant blocks in the urinals. Even if men and women both behave impeccably in the bogs, there is always this baseline difference. I don’t want to smell strange man piss if I can help it (and I certainly don’t want to have to clean it up while my daughter crosses her legs and waits for a dry seat to sit on).

Secondly, urinals are a practical solution to male anatomy- they are quick to use and minimise splashing - the target is closer to the penis than a toilet is. Making men use unisex toilets created for the needs of women (all cubicles, all toilets) just makes it take longer for everyone to get done (as well as the affore mentioned splashing problem).

Add in the fact that men are used to standing at urinals with their backs in plain sight of others, and we end up with the cultural/habitual issue of men not closing cubicle doors.

Either all men have to learn to sit and pee (and mixed toilets are cleaned more often with powerful chemicals to kill the smells) or we have to stick with separate sex toilets (better for the environment).

This is without taking any criminal intent into consideration (voyeurism/setting spy cams etc are much easier in facilities that you are permitted to enter).

Mixed sex loos are just a horrible idea all round. Men’s, women’s, accessible and a few extra single occupant cubicles (for those who aren’t comfortable using one of the previous three categories for whatever reason) is the only way to meet everyone’s needs.

I was in the ladies toilet at my local Vue cinema last week - I had to go into three different stalls before I found a toilet without piss all over the seat. Women can be just as dirty as men.

I’d also suggest that ALL cinemas are experiencing increased customer attendance levels with the popularity of the new Avengers film. This means there’s also more customers using the toilet - often in a rush as they dash out in the well-documented bladder-busting 3 hour long Avengers film.

Coupled with staff likely serving customers at ‘front of house’ I’d suggest that might be the toilets are less clean than usual? I’m absolutely certain that neither Everyman (or Vue, or any other establishment where piss is found on the toilet seat) is expecting their customers to clean their toilets for them.

As for the man using the stall with the door open, it might be worth recommending some signs are put up?

I’ve visited the Everyman in Leeds on a couple of occasions and would have to say I think their unisex toilets are very well done, with floor-to-ceiling solid doors with sturdy locks and individual sinks / hand driers / sanitary bins in all stalls. I’d say the unisex toilets are more family friendly as it allows dads to take younger children to the toilet without issue if needed. That said, the venue does have an alcohol license (unlike most cinemas) so likely attracts a more adult audience, especially in the evening.

I personally think it’s a great cinema - one that I like to visit as an occasional treat for special events.

Call environmental health. I bet that would affect their hygiene rating and they would act then if they would lise money from food/ drink.

I would disagree about lack of disgustingness in women's only toilets, it's something I see pretty regularly, especially in certain kinds of places. But I still would not say the the question of mixed sexes is the same as the question of cleanliness, even if men's are always worse.

The men's toilets also should be cleaned often enough that they are sanitary. If men's, women's, or unisex toilets are that gross, it means they aren't cleaning them as often as they need to. Or, to put it another way, the frequency of cleaning is supposed to be based on how dirty they get in a given period of time.
If they want unisex toilets but aren't cleaning them often enough, they aren't doing themselves any favours. Chances are they weren't cleaning the men's enough before either.

The unisex thing is the main beef for a woman who wants cleanliness. The proof is we never have to put up with this systematic disgustingness in a women's only toilet!

I think it's worthwhile with a complaint like this to really focus your complaint.

With the clenliness thing - that is just not acceptable, and really it's not totally about women vs men. I have been in very similar women's toilets, usually in clubs and places like that where people are drinking. And there are a lot of men that do not like that kind of filth in their toilets either.
If that's the main beef you have I would really focus on it - the unisex thing makes it more likely they will push back because they think that is your main agenda. But filthy toilets are not acceptable and there are ways to keep them cleaner. Sharing photos is a good approach, it is the most likely thing to make them take notice.

As far as men peeing with the door open - I can see why this happens in men's toilets. It might be that they need some signage in the uisex toilets to remind people that it's not appropriate in a mixed sex environment - and that it can get them kicked out or even accused of something illegal. Again, I might approach that problem with a very specific complaint, maybe in a way that makes them start thinking about what it will look like when the police are called because a 12 year old girl is being flashed by a grown man.
If you want to complain about the concept, you should, but they may not be so inclined to respond.

What would happen if people reported it to the police? I'm assuming that you wouldn't be able to take a picture to show what was going on as that would be a whole different problem, so I don'[t know how you can prove what went on, but if enough people reported it, maybe they would be able to have a word with the management. Or maybe if it was also reported to the Health and Safety Executive, or Trading Standards or teh council... there must be somebody that people could report this to and expect them to be able to do something you'd have thought!

Everyman cinemas....sounds like an apt name alright - every man is welcome, every woman can put up or shut up.

What a wonderful new era the trans rights movement has ushered in!

TripAdvisor reviews may prompt rethinks.

Cinemas are full of unaccompanied children. Did they consult parents, I wonder?

Good point to emphasise.

I didn't think it would count as indecent exposure as long as you cant see his genitals, but found this;

''Any person who carries out an act of obscene nature in the public can also be charged with ‘outraging public decency’. You can outrage public decency if you behave in a lewd, obscene or disgusting nature.''

west-midlands.police.uk/your-options/flashing-indecent-exposure-and-sex-acts-public

Why aren't the doors self closing?

I think it's common for men not to close the door.

Some of our toilets at work have been made unisex and this is what men do. We now have signs up telling men to shut the doors!

So all the women trek all the way over to the other building where the toilets are still sex segregated. And only the men use the unisex ones.

If a man is using a cubicle in a mixed sex bathroom with the door open, is that an offence? Would it be an offence if he knew that women or children were in the main area?

I wondered about that. In Scotland it could be a breach of the peace. To prove a breach of the peace, the most important things to prove are that someone was alarmed, annoyed or disturbed by the incident.

Dh has just told me that the main Ladies Loos at Waterloo Station are out of order, so everyone is in the men’s.
There’s an area in the men’s of urinals which can been seen just around the corner from the cubicles. He thought they are still in use as he heard a man telling a woman not to go round the corner as the urinals were being used! How lovely for any woman who accidentally walked around the corner!

If a man is using a cubicle in a mixed sex bathroom with the door open, is that an offence? Would it be an offence if he knew that women or children were in the main area?

My family went to a restaurant recently which had a similar toilet setup.
There were signs in every cubicle reminding users to close the toilet door.
I had sent DD2 aged 7 to use the toilets on her own, without checking them out. Yuk.

Please do. Fgs most cinemas have rules that if you bring in your own food and drink they can ask you to leave. There is no reason why they can't have a rule about toilet behaviour.

The man refused to shut the cubicle door. I told station staff who were sympathetic but said it happened all the time

That's just a pathetic excuse really. The station operator has every right to intervene.

found a female member of staff who said she could not do anything but would 'pass it on to management'

Management can do plenty. Assuming they won't change the layout they can start with signs saying cubicle doors must be shut when in use. Anyone ignoring this will be asked to leave the premises with no refund.

Cinemas are private property which admit the public subject to whatever conditions (avoiding discrimination) the management wish to impose.

I don't have an absolute objection to unisex toilets. In a concert hall or theatre where everyone is going at the same time in the intervals and there will be a lot of people around I don't have a problem with. A cinema is different as people go during the film and there won't be safety in numbers.

None one of the 3 independent cinemas in Edinburgh has unisex loos nor the branch of the chain I go to.

It happened at a toilet block on a train platform which had been turned from a ladies into unisex. I was with my children. The man refused to shut the cubicle door. I told station staff who were sympathetic but said it happened all the time. The second incident happened in a restaurant. I told the manager who was not happy but obviously, feeling vulnerable didn’t stick around to get a good look.
Unisex means that if men follow women and girls into confined spaces they cannot be challenged.

I wonder if its worth giving customer services positive feedback if they have separate toilets, and mention things like how you feel comfortable taking your daughter to the venue?

Cinemas are full of unaccompanied children. Did they consult parents, I wonder?