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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Am I being precious or would this not bother you?

283 replies

Pinkpanther6878 · 12/10/2021 23:45

In large DIY department store today,needed to use loo, and which are located through a door in corner of store that then opens into corridor (about say 7/8 meters long) with female and male toilet doors separately going off this corridor, and disabled toilet at end of corridor. Except now the separate male and female toilets (usually for customer use) are locked and only for staff use, not sure why but anyway signs saying to use disabled toilet, of which there is only one, so therefore unisex. I proceed down corridor, the disabled toilet door of which is wide open (and wide open into corridor, it's a pull door to get in not push). I become aware of sound of someone urinating,so I stop well before door,and shortly after a middle aged man walks out,still messing with his fly. I give him slightly unapproving look but he just carries on past me in corridor looking totally vacant. To add he also didnt bother flushing the toilet, so I was greeted by toilet full of dark slightly frothy urine,nor did he put seat down,but I probably am being picky on that latter point.
Anyway more I think about it the more I am feeling bit disturbed,even violated by the whole thing. Like this man didnt care about closing let alone locking the door, so anyone could have walked in on him plus the lack of respect not flushing afterwards, just seems really gross and off. Also as a single 30 something female am feeling especially conscious at moment of needing safe space etc, and be nice if men were conscious of this too, not actively making no effort. Just to add, this man was a member of the public/customer, not a staff member.
Yes YABU - thinking too much into it,get over it.
No YANBU - it is concerning

OP posts:
ThirdElephant · 13/10/2021 01:30

He looked vacant? Might he have learning difficulties? Or have been under the influence?

bluebell34567 · 13/10/2021 01:38

@ThirdElephant

He looked vacant? Might he have learning difficulties? Or have been under the influence?
or was he just a pig?
ThirdElephant · 13/10/2021 01:41

Or was he just a pig?

Pigs are quite intelligent. I wouldn't say they look vacant.

NiceGerbil · 13/10/2021 01:45

Can't vote either way-

On one hand yes that's grim

On the other hand it's not surprising

The real question is why have they closed the other toilets? I mean this is rubbish for everyone -

Those who NEED accessible toilet.
Women who don't generally want to share bogs with men for plenty of reasons.
Men who want a quick pee, generally like urinals because quick, easy, no queue.

So the real question is why the others closed.

But yeah it's grim.

Djifunrsn · 13/10/2021 01:48

Grim behaviour for sure. Don’t know if it’s concerning or not.

NiceGerbil · 13/10/2021 01:53

The door open peeing in mixed sex is a general problem.

Example- pic attached

Restaurant I went to in central London before lockdown had this sign inside.

It was old school big room with cubicles. They had obv just changed sign on outer door to anyone. And got rid of gents for more dining space.

V uncomfy. Big gaps under doors all around and between partitions and ceiling.

When I came out man washing hands. Did not like me being there. Real sense of hostility off him.

Never ever going there again.

Am I being precious or would this not bother you?
CatonMat · 13/10/2021 01:57

I wouldn't like it at all.
It's like marking his territory.
Leaving the door open and a toilet full of his piss.

JackofGentlemen · 13/10/2021 02:05

OFGS, is this real?!? You went to the loo in a shop, someone hadn't shut the door properly and hadn't flushed. So what? Now you feel violated?!

JackofGentlemen · 13/10/2021 02:07

Use the toilet as you normally would and leave! You don't need to think about it again, much less start feeling violated because he didn't flush!

CatonMat · 13/10/2021 02:09

Yep.
I wouldn't expect it from my husband, why is it acceptable from a stranger to leave the door open and not flush?

Randomneim · 13/10/2021 02:12

Sharing a loo with dudes who treat it like a urinal (or indeed women who spray the seat while hovering) is SUPER GROSS, I agree! This is why we need my Great Policy Idea of 2021 that I got after having to share loos with dudes who make more mess on the seat/floor than women (#notallmen but #stilllotsofmen). No gender segregated bathrooms, but one loo for the The Sitting Pee People and one loo for the Standing Pee People!

NiceGerbil · 13/10/2021 02:18

@JackofGentlemen

Use the toilet as you normally would and leave! You don't need to think about it again, much less start feeling violated because he didn't flush!
Wouldn't it be better if men remembered they aren't at a urinal in the gents?

Maybe?

DoYouSeaWhatISea · 13/10/2021 02:46

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4068504-Gender-neutral-toilet-in-Starbucks-and-I-m-livid?topicid=5365&threadid=4068504&pg=1

This would bother me. I don’t want unisex toilets. No thanks

sbfptw · 13/10/2021 06:39

violated? Really??

Coffeey · 13/10/2021 06:58

That's gross he should flush it and wash his hands!

gofg · 13/10/2021 06:58

This sort of thing has happened to me in the past (more than once) - couldn't care less, and I certainly have never felt "violated". You need to harden up a bit OP (and others).

FOJN · 13/10/2021 07:10

I think we're all going to have to get used to the idea of men sharing public loos.

Are we? Women fought for single sex facilities for very good reasons. It's worth researching the history of public loos for women, it's fascinating (I appreciate it doesn't sound it). There is no way I will sit back and allow these facilities to be taken from women when so many of us express discomfort at the idea of mixed sex toilets.

I thought mentioning being a lone 30 something female was a reference to Sarah Everard, I imagine it's made many women feel that little bit more vulnerable when they're just going about their business.

The guy was a disrespectful pig, there is no need to use a public toilet with the door open. Not flushing, puting the seat down or washing their hands is disgustingly unhygienic.

AmanitaRubescens · 13/10/2021 07:12

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FoamBananas21 · 13/10/2021 07:19

This has happened to me before too! A couple of times! I also find it so disgusting and strangely disturbing. Like they want to be seen? Or don't have enough respect or understanding that a woman might not want to be in such close proximity to a strangers genitals. How do they know it won't be a child walking in? Absolutely gross. I am absolutely dreading unisex toilets being the norm, I hope it doesn't happen.

girlmom21 · 13/10/2021 07:24

Ok so he should have shut the door and flushed the chain. Agreed.

But disabled toilets have always been unisex so you don't get to use a toilet that isn't meant for you, as you're not disabled, and then complain that it doesn't cater to your needs of a single sex environment...

I can't comprehend why you feel violated. You didn't see his penis and you could have heard a woman urinate if the normal toilets were opened.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 13/10/2021 07:24

He should have definitely flushed, although I have a male friend who rarely remembers to flush as he was brought up in a household where the kids were forbidden to flush after a wee in order to save water and it’s a habit he (and his female siblings) struggled to break.

In terms of not shutting the door I can see why you felt uncomfortable. I wonder if perhaps he was anxious about using an accessible toilet and was trying to rush and not occupy the space any longer than possible in case a person with a disability who needed it came along? Many people have had it drummed into them not to use an accessible toilet under any circumstances, I appreciate in this case it was the only public toilet and so wholly reasonable to use. Alternatively perhaps he has extreme claustrophobia and struggles in shit/ locked spaces; I used to have a (female) colleague who wouldn’t lock the door behind her in a toilet as her claustrophobia was so bad, although she would at least shut it.

YANBU to be uncomfortable by the situation of course, but you don’t know the man’s situation or reasoning for leaving the door open so I think it’s hard to make a judgement on whether he was being unreasonable without knowing his point of view.

MrsSkylerWhite · 13/10/2021 07:28

He was a dirty, thoughtless sod. Violated, though, is ott.

BoxOfDreams · 13/10/2021 07:32

The race to the bottom continues. It is disgusting OP, and all of those saying "so what?" are part of the problem. We need standards in society otherwise life is just a free for all. Expecting those using a public loo to close the door and flush the loo is kind of minimum standard.

Closing the toilet door isn't just for safety as someone claimed up thread, it's for privacy and politeness. My family and guests close the door when they use the loo in my house, I'm sure they don't feel I may assault them if they don't.

SnowyQueen · 13/10/2021 07:32

If you felt so uneasy, why did you still go in? He sounds like a perv who likes people walking in on him! He’s also unhygienic.

EishetChayil · 13/10/2021 07:36

This is what we have to look forward to if self ID comes in. Now can you see what the issue is? It's men like this, who get kicks out of intimidating or just plain disrespecting women.