To agree with Piers Morgan..

[Science9]

I find Piers Morgan insufferable at the best of times, but I was watching him debate with a guest re Primarks new gender neutral changing rooms and I found myself agreeing with him completely. I know it's not unreasonable to agree with someone but I wanted to see if i was inthe minority by being really annoyed and worried about this and how things are going in regards to single sex spaces? I am a regular primark shopper and I usually take a big bag of stuff in to try on and their changing rooms have the worst flimsy curtains as it is- I already get majorly self conscious when the curtain doesn't fully shut (it never does) but the thought of men being in the opposite cubicle rather than another woman is mortifying for me and I am just going to have to shop elsewhere. I just worry this is going to be the start of losing single sex toilets and changing areas altogether which would be hell for me. Before anyone says it, I have no problem with trans people!

YANBU I won’t be shopping in there.

I’m in two minds, I have a disabled daughter and when she goes shopping either me or my dh need to help her with her clothes, a unisex changing room would be handy for us, but if I’m shopping on my own I want single sex

Primark have the worst curtains! There's always a six inch gap down one side. Or you can move it a bit and have 3 inches gap either side. They need to replace them all with floor to ceiling doors if its going to work at all.

By the way, haven't Gap (the shop) always had mixed changing and only curtains? Or is that just the outlet Gaps?

If it was a big communal space it would bother me. If single sectioned off areas with curtains then I wouldn't care to be honest.

Are they keeping male changing rooms single sex or are they unisex too?

I think a lot of what Piers Morgan says people agree with but they are frightened to say what they are really thinking in case they are torn down by the PC brigade.

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Places like ASDA have always had shared changing rooms, they just have doors instead of curtains. The curtains are the bigger issue than them being unisex I think, it's no different to the rest of the shop outside of the actual cubicles so they just need making more private

A lot of shops already do this don't they? All the places I've been recently do, including next, levi. I agree that if primark are going to do this, they should have better curtains/doors but I presume if they're doing a revamp of their changing rooms, this will be taken into consideration.

Our leisure centre does as well and it's not a Problem and your completely naked in there.

It's just such a non issue and Common practise in a lot of places

It’s best never to watch Piers Morgan (or read anything he says) then you cannot find yourself agreeing with him.
I am sure there are plenty of less racist/sexist/homophobic commentators making more thoughtful points about Primark’s changing rooms.

mixed sex changing rooms dont bother me, plenty of places do it, gyms, swimming pools, Asda...etc.

What bothers me is curtains rather than doors. That needs addressing.

Our Primark has changing too rooms like a rabbit warren...my concern with this would be on a quiet day when there's maybe one staff member on duty. Literally all sorts could happen if you were in a quiet corner and a predatory man close by.

Sorry if I missed the reply but a previous poster asked if PM planned to make all facilities gender neutral or just female ones ... does anyone know?

YABU. By all means debate the issue, but don't bring that stinking pile of human shite into it.

And agree that for me same sex may not be a problem. However for others such as my DD 10 who loves going in by herself or a vulnerable woman this is definitely NOT ok. It is not right to take safe spaces away.

A few posters here making massive assumptions on behalf of others.

Unisex changing rooms wouldn’t be so bad, if they had proper doors, or decent top to toe curtains. Flimsy curtains which don’t close properly is a no-no.

Downcast

It really depends on the layout, the facilities and the staffing.
My eyes were opened to some of the risks of unisex changing areas about 6 years ago. I'd taken my DD and a friend to an outdoor pool which had unisex changing and was advised by the staff to effectively keep watch by the door to the changing cubicles they were in as they had such a huge problem with men putting phones under the gap to take photos of women and girls changing.
It's not a trans problem for women, it's a creepy men problem.

I would agree with Petal - gender neutral changing rooms are not an issue for me as long as the curtain/door is sufficient!

I avoid any changing rooms with flimsy curtains! Proper doors would be good - I wouldn’t mind if it were unisex or single sex in that case.

It's not agreeing with him per se, but shop changing rooms is one thing where I don't much see the point in sex separation.

I don't see why we can't have a partner around to give an opinion, like we can have a female friend or relative.

The shop should have good curtains or doors regardless.

The exception for me would be lingerie departments.

Thanks for all of your replies. It's good to know I am not the only one that isn't comfortable with it and interesting to read other perspectives. Surely the logical solution would be to create a third 'gender neutral' option? Why has that not been the first point of call? If places are going to have to build doors to keep privacy intact then money will have to be spent regardless so they might as well just create a third area instead? I feel like women seem to get the raw end of the deal sometimes. My other worry is that normalising this then leads to gender neutral toilets everywhere

my concern with this would be on a quiet day when there's maybe one staff member on duty. Literally all sorts could happen if you were in a quiet corner and a predatory man close by.

This is an issue even with men not allowed in. With no staff and no other customers around any man could still enter women's changing rooms.

Surely the logical solution would be to create a third 'gender neutral' option?

That would be too simple.

But also, don't trans people then say its singling them out? They want in to women's spaces because they are women apparently.

All the people saying it doesn't bother you about mixed sex changing rooms, that's lovely but statistics show that when you allow men into women's spaces crimes typically increase ( against women) by roughly 1000%. There was an article in a newspaper, I want to say Guardian or independent and a single sex facility had 14 reports of crimes. The mixed went up to 144.

Also some women need single sex spaces for religious, health and private reasons. Just because YOU do not mind, does not mean its ok to get rid of single sex spaces. I am a rape survivor, child abuse survivor and I have fibroids that make my periods ridiculously heavy.

I do not want a man taking a shit in a cubicle next to me while I am trying to juggle a clot filled mooncup and remain blood free on my clothes. A woman would understand, even sympathise if I had to rinse my bloody hands but men are already entitled goady fucktards and would be shaking the door, telling me to hurry up and "bantering" about it looking like a murder scene and not to get the hump just as I have got the decorators in.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sex-pests-target-women-in-mixed-changing-rooms-x3vw2lnv8

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/sexual-assault-unisex-changing-rooms-sunday-times-women-risk-a8519086.html