Barbican Centre plans to remove 18 women-only toilets as part of its Renewal project

I've emailed them to complain, heard nothing back. Here's the email address if you wish to complain too.

[email protected]

I think they’ll lose some drinks sales as women will be trying to avoid the loos.

Mind you, I wonder how much women's custom they lose for ice cream and drinks because we always have to queue longer than the men. Last time I was at a theatre with DH I suggested drinks in the interval, and he said, "OK, you get the drinks while I go to the loo." I said, "Er, no, I'm going to rush to the loo and beat the queue while you get the drinks - you can go after." And sure enough when I came out there was a massive queue for the ladies.

They temporarily did this at Xmas. I complained and a she/her replied to me with a load of lies about refurbishments in the men’s. I replied that this was lies and the she/her replied about how if this was a problem, any member of staff would be able to direct me to a gendered toilet to meet my needs. No mention regarding my comments that on the floor that I was sat on, there were no female only toilets but yet 2 sets of toilets for men to use.

You can submit your views on the website, see link:

https://www.barbican.org.uk/exhibition-guides/barbican-renewal-may-2025-public-consultation

I wonder if there’s a formula you could work it out? Average time in loo + washing hands versus time in loo then washing hands outside the cubicle. If 50% of the auditorium went to the loo, how many people would have to go back to the second half without then getting an icecream or drink because they had been queuing so long for the loo?

I submitted my views and today I got an acknowledgement email.

Yes, @MissScarletInTheBallroom , and there is serious research into this stuff, who uses what loos for how long etc. It’s both ideological and opportunistic. Service providers have increasingly been thinking that it’s a way to make their lives easier, one facility, one lot of cleaning and maintenance.

Yes. And an arts venue is the worst possible place to implement this sort of design, because everyone wants to use the toilet in the same 15 minute window. They'd have to be absolutely fucking bonkers to change their toilet design in a way that makes that queue move more slowly.

They are making a rod for their own back, imo.

I don't think toilets like this are necessarily a problem in themselves if there are enough for the number of users and they are kept clean, and the entrances are observed.

However it's going to reduce the possible number of toilets as these kinds of enclosed cubicles require more space, and each will be in use longer because of the self-contained sinks, and lack of urinals (if there is a lack of urinals.)

So it is going to be that much more costly, and use that much more space, to fit in an appropriate number of toilets.

Oh, the non binary eejit?

I saw an excellent piece of analysis - because of the way men use toilets, they often get urine on the seats - especially once the toilets are not completely clean so they (understandably)don’t want to lift the seat. Women have to either hover or sit down, so they often have to clean the seat before use.

Way to go Barbican, make all women visitors into de facto cleaners

This drives me mad and makes me sad at the same time. Why is every other special interest group’s needs met, except for women?

Women have special biological needs. Pregnancy, childbirth and menopause often impose additional requirements on females not shared by men necessitating greater numbers of loos and requiring longer visits. IBS is also more common in women. Please have mercy! Life is hard enough.

See point 4, it looks like Edward Lord was in charge of the consultation for the Barbican toilets and history suggests he’s not a fan of women’s SSS.

sex-matters.org/posts/updates/edward-lord/

The City of London board or whatever the body is apparently has form on this, eg see Hampstead women’s pond. They own the Barbican. There is apparently a powerful trans activist in the CoL establishment.

Removing single-sex toilets means that there is sufficient space to meet the requirements as set out in the 2024 update to Part T of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010.

The objective of this requirement is to require toilet accommodation in non-residential buildings to be separate single-sex toilets, with single-sex shared or individual hand-washing facilities.
Universal toilets can be provided in addition to single-sex provision and where space allows. Where there is not sufficient space to provide single-sex toilets, fully enclosed universal toilets should be provided.

In the Secretary of State’s view, requirement T1 is met by ensuring all of the following.
a. Separate single-sex toilet facilities are provided. Universal toilets can be provided in addition to single-sex provision and where space allows. All toilet accommodation should have clear and appropriate signage.
b. Where space precludes single-sex toilet facilities from being provided, fully enclosed universal toilets should be provided. Available space for toilet accommodation will vary from building to building; once reasonable provision is made for single-sex toilet facilities, any remaining space for toilet accommodation can be considered for universal toilet provision.
[my emphasis]
Toilet accommodation: Approved Document T

I also think that fully-enclosed cubicles are not ideal for entertainment venues where hundreds of people will need to use the facilities in a 20-minute interval - the queue will move much more slowly when people have to wait for others to wash their hands, fix make-up, brush hair, etc.

That's a very good point.

I responded to a customer satisfaction survey a few years ago (post-Covid reopening I think, so when they really needed customer satisfaction!) telling them I wasn’t renewing my membership, having encountered their new unisex loo policy at the end of an event, when there was a long queue of bewildered men & women. It may come as no surprise in light of their doubling down now that they couldn’t give a stuff.

Perhaps you’re referring to Edward Lord, possibly on the relevant barbican team for the CoL and he certainly doesn’t seem a big fan of women having single sex spaces.

Why would their funders want GN loos, are you suggesting some sort of DEI edict with no one interested in real world impact? Genuine question btw!

Maybe they are remembering their funders, rather than their customers?

I’ve written to the Barbican too. I go quite often and the profile is definitely older people, who will not like this one bit. It’s fine to have some GN loos, but it’s so disrespectful to women to ignore our issues, safety and preferences in favour of virtue signalling and fashion. Remember your customers Barbican!

and this from @maltravers on a different thread:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/27/secret-spy-cameras-voyeurism-uk

I have responded too, as single sex toilets are vital for so many women and it's awful to see the Barbican's contempt for 51% of the population who are female -who will be excluded or face longer queues & have to risk hidden cameras/ voyeurism / seats that men have urinated on and the lack of privacy etc! I still find it shocking that in 2025 organisations just ignore the basic needs/ human rights to dignity of women as a sex- SS toilet provision is such a basic!

Until @Keeptoiletssafe arrives to help , here are some other useful links if you are responding:

https://sex-matters.org/toilets-matter/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/toilet-accommodation-approved-document-t

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/30/gender-neutral-lavatories-more-germs-than-single-sex-ones/

Just a warning if you plan to respond- it's worth using the email address as the form requires a belief in 'gender' and lies that there are more than 3 sexual orientations- clearly they are so caught up in trans fantasies the Barbican have lost touch with reality and the need for accurate equality monitoring/ facts, and the fact that not believing in 'gender identities' is a protected belief.

I have responded similarly to @Arran2024. I have informed them we would cancel our membership and not donate again. Inclusion means the consideration of everyone's needs. I love the Barbican, but we would not longer be able to go if they get rid of single-sex toilets.