Sunderland Minster refusing to comply with Supreme Court ruling

I'll get my tiny violin. The good Reverend is not above the secular law.

That’s about as trenchant as it could be from the trustees. Good. Might stop the Canon overreaching herself and carrying on her own crusade. More people with oversight should realise that they are potentially personally responsible for the ramifications of actions taken by people in their organisation.

However the Church Times today carries an article saying that Canon Clare MacLaren has defended the display of the sign. So that’ll be fun. Apparently on Monday she said that the sign had been taken down “to safeguard our volunteers from the risk of abuse“. There are no words!

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2026/5-june/news/uk/sunderland-minster-defends-use-of-church-s-women-s-toilets-by-trans-women

Edited to add, never thought I’d be posting links from the Church Times on Mumsnet.

I sound patronising? Gosh I'm very sorry TheignT, that was never my intention - in fact that never is my intention, I'd hate to sound patronising, ever!
I apologise if that's how I came across. Definitely unintentional, I assure you.💐

Excellent work all!

Somebody did a naughty! Glad that common sense, reality, and the rule of law has prevailed. Nothing weasely about the statement either. I hope other organizations take note if they don't want to be sued.

Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s !

Looks like someone's had a word.

Here is their statement on this. Sounds like a wider review is,triggered. Good.

They have updated their Facebook page to say that that have removed the poster and are reviewing their policies to ensure they are compliant with the law.

!!!

I am reporting what they have done. The toilets that have been rebadged as unisex do comply, the old unisex toilets in the changing room are not compliant. I only use the swimming pool and cafe, I have no idea if there are different facilities in the gyms and sports areas but I do know the toilets I used in the past are now unisex.

You sound very patronising, not sure if that's intentional.

Whereas the number of transwomen that need to be harmed before the gents is considered a problem for them to use is 0.

In my LA area the old toilet blocks have been replaced by unisex toilets, brick built, floor to ceiling walls and doors with washing facilities. They are so much better than the old blocks, far less smelly and you open the door and can see who is in there not like walking into one of the old blocks where you had no idea who might be lurking in one of the cubicles. I think it depends if it is well done or a cheap bodge job.

It's fine ask away. The toilets were on a corridor so you had a row of toilets which were identical (I know now because I used one that used to be designated for men) except X number had a sign indicating it was a toilet for men and y had a sign indicating it was for women, now they just say toilet.

Thinking about it the funny thing is the toilets in the changing room were always unisex but they aren't compliant as hand basins are in a row facing the cubicles although the floor to ceiling bit was compliant. Maybe they will add basins now.

Yes they were always like that, well the women's were I didn't use the mens but now they are unisex I've been in what was the mens and it's exactly like the women's. The only change is the sign on the door is just toilets not mens/women's.

That's really useful thank you!
I've always felt that making significant changes to a previously fully compliant building, i.e. removing the single sex toilet provision completely, can't be right, but IANABRI.
[I am not a building regs inspector]

I suspect there are loads of buildings out there which are not, or are no longer, building regs compliant, because they fell for the alleged 'inclusivity' of mixed sex toilets, and the accompanying noisy and aggressive TRA campaign against women's spaces.

I've no idea what can be done about it, in the absence of my crack team of Avenging Angel Building Regs Inspectors.

Maybe some plain vanilla Building Regs Inspectors will start taking an interest in non-compliance😏

Thats for to be a candidate for a complaint letter/small claims. It’s clearly discriminatory to women and children. The staff won’t use these loos or understand so if you were feeling brave the thread no would be to call the staffer down to the park to see in reality what they’ve done. No mention of gender etc it’s just a practical matter

The answer is always n+1. The current number whatever it is plus another 1

they (as in the broad powers that be) don't care how many women are assaulted as long as men aren't in any way mildly inconvenienced or upset

That MN posters consider it necessary to chase up this kind of detail (and rightly so), just to try and make sure that people are actually, y'know, doing their jobs, shows exactly where we are. And it's not pretty, is it?

From my brief searching I got the idea that the threshold was crossed whenever new pipework has to be installed. New pipework means inspection, and inspection raises the spectre of regulation and specification.

I always want to ask what is their threshold for assaults on women by transwomen they are willing to tolerate before they change back…1, 10, 50?

Material Alterations: Any change to an existing building's toilet design or designation (e.g., converting single-sex toilets to gender-neutral ones or altering core layouts).

I suspect that my Leisure centre will be able to get away with it because they still have single sex loos inside the changing room. It's in the Main hallway were the unisex ones are.

Google AI (I know, I know...) says that Document T applies to (among other things):

Material Alterations: Any change to an existing building's toilet design or designation (e.g., converting single-sex toilets to gender-neutral ones or altering core layouts).

So you may have an avenue of approach there.

Since I have Doc T of the Building Regs [for England only, unfortunately] on speed-dial😏, it might be useful for TheignT to have the definition of what a 'universal toilet' is:

“universal toilet” means toilet facilities which—
(a) are provided in a fully enclosed room which contains a water closet and washbasin and hand-drying facilities, and
(b) is intended for individual use by persons of either sex.
Approved Document T - Toilet accomodation

The document states that the provision of universal toilets is optional - separate men's and women's toilets must be provided as long as there is enough space for them. Universal toilets may be provided, as an added extra.