Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Were these unisex loos legal?

30 replies

Sofasogood1 · 01/03/2022 12:19

Lunch with friends the other day and my male friend and I went to the loos before leaving. Entered the loos and there were a row of cubicles, but also another door to a separate room with a sign saying urinals. My male friend actually prefers cubicles so he had a choice. He could have chosen the urinals where let's face it no one without a penis would be. I had my period and actually felt a bit weird changing my pad with men in the next cubicles. There were no sinks in the cubicles and I wonder how I would have felt changing a moon cup or what ever.

Is this legal? I thought if loos are unisex there should be sinks in cubicles?

It felt unfair with men having their own seperate area, and women not having a choice. But the legality - I wasn't sure on and wondered if I should complain or if I'm being a bit precious.

OP posts:
burnoutbabe · 01/03/2022 12:58

they would be illegal in a work context as far as i know, under health and safety laws.

www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/toilets.htm

The relevant legislation is the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Regulation 20, Sanitary conveniences, states:

Suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences shall be provided at readily accessible places.
Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), sanitary conveniences shall not be suitable unless -
    the rooms containing them are adequately ventilated and lit;
    they and the rooms containing them are kept in a clean and orderly condition; and
    separate rooms containing conveniences are provided for men and women except where and so far as each convenience is in a separate room the door of which is capable of being secured from inside.

but don't think that applies to providing toilets to the public.

SamphiretheStickerist · 01/03/2022 12:57

There are some very specific the about that and full height doors and hand basins inside cubicles are just 2 of them.

We really need something written down so that companies and individuals know about such things.

Oh, wait... .gov.uk....

sanluca · 01/03/2022 12:55

It is sex discrimination towards women as they can't use the urinals so women have less facilities available to them than men have.

Twizbe · 01/03/2022 12:53

Not sure about legalities but I'd be complaining and not going to that restaurant again

Thiswayorthatway · 01/03/2022 12:46

Loos cannot be illegal surely? Sounds fine to me.

Swipe left for the next trending thread