Simon Rimmer's inadequate facilities

I don't know why anyone thinks the kind of men who enjoy harassing women on the street or in bars are suddenly going to behave themselves when gifted the opportunity to harass women in public toilets. Men don't need the law to make spaces men-only, they just need to make the atmosphere so hostile to women that women stay away.

A 10 year old girl at my primary school was raped by a man who followed her into a public toilet. When I was at a different primary school, a boy followed an 11 year old girl into the toilets and violently sexually assaulted her. A 16 year old girl at my secondary school was raped by a man lurking in the toilets of a theatre. A young woman I know was followed into the toilets in a park by three men who harassed and mugged her. An 11 year old girl was raped by a man in the toilets of a supermarket I used to frequent. A man disguised himself as a woman to record women using the toilets in a shopping centre I used to frequent ( his second such offence). Why make things easier for street harassers, voyeurs, flashers and rapists to offend against women? It's like legalising guns because people are going to commit murders anyway.

So much bad public policy is reliant on women quietly enduring and making do and being told that we are too demanding if we want a tiny bit of respite from the possibility of really grim male behaviour. I'm sick of it.

FYI, @antifascist, free education for you: 1 in 3 women develop fibroids. 1 in 3 of these show symptoms. That 1 in 9 women. Main symptom is heavy periods (NHS website). Mine were so disabling that I had to have a hysterectomy.

But yeah, sure, this is not at all a privacy and dignity concern, we're all just transphobic by not wanting the unisex loos, your logic is impeccable as ever

Boots x post because I did, but I wouldn't say that my remark was transphobic.

I think @antifascist is a bloke, by his own admission. So no, never had to use any sanitary products. But apparently knows all about the frequency of leaking accidents women have - extremely rare. I've been told, and shall write off all my memories of that as hallucinations

Unisex toilets mean men and women share the same facilities. Men and women are outraged, one anti-fascism campaigner automatically thinks that makes women transphobic, even when trans people weren't mentioned.

I recently started asking men - do they like unisex toilet's. All of them say no. They also said that they have no problems with transwomen in the men's toilet's.

That was to the 'antifa'

For 2 years of increasing flooding due to fibroids prior to hysterectomy, on the regular basis.

A large proportion of women would've leaked on their clothes at some point, it's really not an extreme situation. Ask your mum.

As for your compassion-none needed, just your absence from my toilet.

"How often do you wash menstrual blood in restaurants?"

Umm at least monthly... that's generally how it works with periods. Have you never had to use a tampon, pad or mooncup? Or perhaps you don't go to cafes / restaurants?

Why are you so desperate for unisex facilities. The vast majority of men hate them too. It seems like you have some nefarious reasons for demanding unisex toilets. All the more reason to help protect women.

How often do you wash menstrual blood in restaurants?

if someone needed to wash menstrual blood or anything else I would show compassion - perhaps leave a communal area

rather than use an extreme situation as an excuse for my transphobic paranoia.

But that;'s just me

The sinks are outside. Do you like women washing blood off their hands and clothing in front of you? Do you think women removing their skirt/trousers to wash off menstrual blood should be forced to do so in front of you?

I love this comment in the twitter feed;
"In case there’s any doubt as to what a man is, tell the person go outside and yell “I’M A WOMAN!” If no-one shouts at them and calls them transphobic, it’s safe to assume they’re a man 😁"

gosh to read this thread anyone would think these were shared cubicles

Did anyone get a screenshot of the tweet he deleted?

Was it this one?

Yes, this was his original response to customer expressing discomfort at mixed sex toilets.

Any company with unisex toilets and changing rooms should be made to check their facilities for hidden cameras on an hourly basis until they upgrade to single-sex provision.

Agreed. They should also be made to make it clear in the restaurant that the toilets are unisex and minors should be accompanied by an adult from their party.

There are toilets like this in a restaurant in Liverpool - even worse, you don’t realise they’re unisex until you’re actually inside the handwash area. They have a separate ‘male’ and ‘female’ door but both doors open into the same communal handwash space. So from the outside you actually think they are separate toilets. I wouldn’t let my 15 year old niece go in them alone.

Any company with unisex toilets and changing rooms should be made to check their facilities for hidden cameras on an hourly basis until they upgrade to single-sex provision.

These men who argue that unisex facilities mean equality are indistinguishable from MRAs. They love the gotcha of ' Ha, ha, bitches! You wanted equality so now everything has to be shared with men.' The nerve of taking resources away from us and arguing they are doing it for our benefit.

I don't think he's motivated by being cheap. I mean, it's a bonus. I think he's motivated by frank misogyny.

Exhibit in support: www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/food-a-cookbook-in-the-worst-possible-taste-8521643.html?amp

Maya made a good point about him not giving any thought to the fact that he's allowing men who have been drinking to share facilities with girls who will be there for a family meal.

The fact the twat tried to claim he was motivated by equality, rather than being cheap is pathetic.

We now need to advocate for a law that specifies single sex provisions since the single sex exemptions in the Equality Act have been rendered ineffective by very aggressive men who claim they are not men. (Note that no-one is asking these men WHY they are demanding access to ALL single sex services / spaces designated for females.)

The root of this issue is the GRA 2004. It is being abused by these men in terms of its relationship with the Equality Act 2010 and it MUST now be repealed.

Interesting tweet in this thread from a male diabetic:
twitter.com/TomasCorax/status/1548306150667325440

"Speaking as a man, I find it horribly uncomfortable to use mixed sex facilities like this.

It’s also a hell of an inconvenience if I have to mess around with my insulin pump, which will mean getting at least partially undressed."

This thread has reminded me - did anyone get a response from Bill's Restaurant about their toilet policy?

Did anyone get a screenshot of the tweet he deleted?

Was it this one?

twitter.com/JaneSymons1/status/1548352948333252614

www.independent.co.uk/voices/united-arab-emirates-women-dubai-expo-b1952785.html

Also being pointed out that for someone espousing his company's commitment to gender equality, it is somewhat ironic that he has a restaurant in Abu Dhabi. Hypocrisy at its finest.

I love the fact that many men in that thread are saying there is nothing wrong with these toilets. They clearly don't have daughters and female relatives. Also a few idiots saying you have gender neutral toilets at home.