To want a female only dorm in a bunkhouse?

[Firefightress1]

Im doing a long walk next month in the highlands of scotland. Accomodation is limited to hostels and bunkhouses in some locations. Apparently they are no longer able to ask your gender so all rooms in the bunkhouse I am staying are unisex.

I've asked to be put in with another female and been told the other bunk is booked but because of gdpr they can't tell me if I am sharing with a male or female.

Is this not completely bonkers? Am I being unreasonable to want to know who is going to be in the same room as me while im sleeping or is this just normal and the risk you take?

I'm perplexed and a bit stressed about it.

It is obviously completely bonkers that you can't ask for or be guaranteed single sex shared facilities. Is there any ability to book a private room - I appreciate that this isn't the point of a bunkhouse but what other option do you have?? Other than to cancel and to explain to the organisation(s) involved why you've had to cancel.

I asked if I could buy the other bunk but was told its already allocated. I just can't understand how crazy it is that you arebt allowed to choose a gender assigned room, I'm a female, I want to be in a room with another female!

When I was a daft 18 year old, I would have said "what's the big deal." Now that I'm 51, there is no way I would sleep in the same room with a man who was a stranger to me.

Do they advertise as having single sex dormitories/rooms? Or do they say upfront that it's all mixed sex?

If you decide to risk it, would you be able to leave and find somewhere else to stay if it turns out that they've allocated a male person to the other bunk? I'm guessing that would be unlikely given the type of holiday and the locations.

This isn’t good for men or women. Scotland has gone absolutely mad.

Unfortunately not, it's literally the middle of nowhere. As soon as I made the booking I emailed to ask if I could book the other bunk but they said it wa allocated already. Risk you take. Will just need to suck it up x

You are not being unreasonable to want single sex accommodation. However, when I have stayed in bunkhouses they have been very basic and there has never ben any sex segregation. It's just one building or room with bunks or platforms.

Hostels are a different type of accommodation entirely. If you contact independent hostels and explain, you might be in luck. Hostelling Scotland is another matter.

Sorry, I should have said first, it's a 2 bed bunk so only me and 1 other! If we are practically sleeping together, its nental thry cant disclose their gender!

Of course you’re being unreasonable. You should be completely willing to sleep with a man you don’t know in the bed/bunk next to/above/below you. I suppose you don’t want to share the showers with him either?! Bigot.

<SARCASM>

I find it mind-blowing that people don’t see a problem with this. They’re running a business. They’re GDPR protection of one customer is adversely impacting on another customer and potentially losing them business. There’s no WAY I’d be sleeping there if they couldn’t guarantee me there won’t be a man sharing a room with me. This isn’t even about transwomen now. This is about previously SSS becoming mixed sex. I know YH have traditionally had mixed dorms for the adventurous among us, but there’s always been the option of just women. Not any more.

Wonder how many men would be happy sharing with strange women. In fact, if they are happy with it they definitely shouldn't be allowed to!

Christ, I don’t even like sharing a sleeper berth with a woman I don’t know! Wonder if they now do GDPR instigated mixed sex berths. What a mess 🙄😡

Thank you, I'm no prude but I feel exactly like this esp in a room for 2!

Be careful, I'm not sure one is allowed to question such things in Scotland, it will be classed as a 'hate crime' this week!

Oh for God’s sake!! Could they not ping the other person an email and ask for their permission to tell you what sex they are???

It's a room for two?! You'll be alone with a male stranger in one room?!

The two bed rooms are unusual in a bunkhouse. Is this one attached to a naice hotel?

Yup and it’s meant to be absolutely fine. Oh, and you pay for he privilege!

JFC, that is absolutely outrageous. The world has gone completely fucking insane.

You're right to be wary. I was once shaken awake in the night by the guy (complete stranger) in the bunk above me wanking vigorously I guess I'm "lucky" that's all he did.

You’re not unreasonable to want to share with somebody female, but if they’re not permitted to ask a person’s sex during booking then they won’t have that information available to give you. They can’t give you the name of the other person, which would likely indicate their sex, because giving out their name would be a breach of GDPR. Would taking a one-person tent and camping be an option?

I stayed in a few Scottish bunkhouses back in the 1990s well before the trans issue was an issue at all. They were all mixed sex, or else self-allocated (ie no prebooking, you just turned up and agreed with whoever else was there who would sleep where). I never minded mixed rooms if there were quite a few people in there, including other women but was a bit uncomfortable if just me and some random man, but you can't really predict that. Youth hostels are different from bunk houses and do offer single sex dorms, so maybe look at them instead?

JFC. That's horrific.

They lieing if they say the law prevents them from offering single sex though. They could do so if they wanted. They wouldn't even need to ask peoples sex, they could just have boxes to book "bed in female dorm" and "bed in male dorm"

Yes, I've stayed before but with my husband not on my own.

I know its absolutely bonkers imo!

I was thinking from the name they could tell but maybe not

What would you do if they could disclose and they said it was a male?