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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

What can I do about gender neutral toilets in college?

83 replies

mightbeasillyquestion · 13/02/2022 22:25

First off, sorry if this has already been asked but most searches seem to be about workplaces or secondary schools and I'm not sure if the legislation is the same, apologies if it is. I am in Wales if that makes it any different. I am attending an FE college and there are no single-sex bathrooms available at all. There is some downstairs where one side is male and one female but the washing area is still communal, all the others are completely mixed. Firstly, I am confused as to whether this is actually legal as most google searches seem to lead to information about secondary schools. If it is illegal then what can I actually do about it, if anything at all? I have spoken to other girls and women there and they also feel uncomfortable with this. The toilets are the kind where the cubicle door touches the floor but the washing area is communal, I am confused as to whether you just need the enclosed room or if you need the sink in there as well.

OP posts:
Novina · 14/02/2022 00:40

This might be slightly off topic (sorry OP. If you can't find specific rules covering FE colleges, I think it would still be indirect sex discrimination?) but to the posters saying fully enclosed with sink as the legal requirement for unisex (which I think is true):

I experienced these at a uni in London. They were in a secluded area of the building, and all the individual toilets still opened up onto a communal room. No way would I want to be in that secluded space with men I don't know, with a load of completely enclosed lockable toilets. It's an unnecessary risk for women that is built right into the design, imo.

DdraigGoch · 13/02/2022 23:55

@Stinkywizzleteets

I’ve been wondering the same thing. In Scotland

My institution has made 50% of the womens toilets gender neutral, you can guess how many mens toilets were allocated to convert to gender neutral… 0

For that one you ought to have a clear-cut case of sex discrimination.
ahagwearsapointybonnet · 13/02/2022 23:42

If it is also classed as a workplace (for example if staff also use the same toilets), I believe this would be against workplace regulations on toilet provision - see here for example www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/workplace-facilities/health-safety.htm

If I understand correctly, the part about the "lockable room" refers to a proper room with the sink inside, rather than just a cubicle with shared handwashing facilities.

I don't know what regulations apply though (if any) if it's not classed as a workplace but just as an adult education facility (there are some regs regarding provision for children in schools, but not sure those would apply here either due to the ages involved).

Goatsaregreat · 13/02/2022 23:29

Here you are mightbeasillyquestion
Fair Play for Women have information on changing rooms. I don't have time to see what else they have but hopefully this is a start:

fairplayforwomen.com/changing_rooms/

mightbeasillyquestion · 13/02/2022 22:40

@Stinkywizzleteets that sounds awful, particularly the inequality of not converting the mens, although not really surprising. At least it is better than no women's toilets though, although still awful that there are less and less.

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Hoardasurass · 13/02/2022 22:39

I'm sure that some more clued up women will be able to give you some good advice but if I remember correctly all mixed sex toilets must be fully enclosed with sink in the cubicle to be legal. Good luck getting it sorted

Stinkywizzleteets · 13/02/2022 22:35

I’ve been wondering the same thing. In Scotland

My institution has made 50% of the womens toilets gender neutral, you can guess how many mens toilets were allocated to convert to gender neutral… 0

mightbeasillyquestion · 13/02/2022 22:29

Also, it is the only further education facility in my county apart from the Welsh-medium and I don't think it is fair that there is no way for anyone to access single-sex facilities in their education settings unless they travel and not everyone has the means to travel anyway.

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