To be annoyed at the lack of bathrooms

[Applecharm25]

I have my period. I can feel that i need to change my tampon.

I'm out walking round my city. There are no public bathrooms anywhere near me.

I see a sign for a bathroom in a small shopping centre near me. I walk in. The bathroom is actually in a shop. I'm told that the bathroom is only available for paying customers.

So now I have to get in a long queue and wait further and buy something while I really need to change my tampon.

Surely there should be better toilet services available.

That’s obvious. Men have urinals, so they all line up and go at the same time. Not many use the cubical.

Because we don't use urinals. I suppose they could do away with cubicles and fit more toilets in and we'd just have no privacy. This isn't what the OP is about though is it? The OP isn't saying she has to queue too long for a public loo but that there aren't any. Unless you think there are mens toilets dotted about cities without corresponding women's that is a totally different issue.

I agree. Signs are always for Toilets.

Also "tampon changing facilities" ???? Because you "don't use the loo when you change a tampon"?

Well, I very much do. I change a tampon maybe every 4 hours or so. I would pee at the same time as changing the tampon. Why wouldn't you? Are you saying you either pee less frequently than one every 4 hours? Or that you would go for a pee at around hour 3 of tampon, but just pee and leave tampon in, then an hour later look for somewhere to change tampon....but not pee?

I don't think they're justifying weeing in public. They're pointing out that it happens. "Can" being factual rather than normative.

I think most people here would be on board with having more public toilets for both men and women. They're not advocating for more toilets for women in the expense of men's toilets!

Also, the original comment about men's toilets vs women's wasn't about today but in reference to the historic "urinary leash" that existed before women's toilets were commonplace in public or pseudo public spaces and, whether by accident or design, served to keep women tied to the private homes of themselves and their friends.

Back then there were just public toilets, and the unspoken assumption that the only people in them would be men. (And yes men did piss in the street and in bushes as well. Given that horses were doing the same thing men pissing in public was probably less frowned upon, but certainly not something open to women, at least not once they started wearing closed underwear.).

Not everyone but to make out all women need toilets more than men is ridiculous. Men can have bladder or bowel issues and need public toilets.

Who said "all" women? I said "on average," it's statistically more likely.

Can't legally.

I’m guessing OP disappeared because school has finished.

We all agree, there needs to be more public toilets but can I just point out. You all still have the luxury of finding a toilet in Costa/mcdonalds/tesco etc. For those disabled people that need hoisting out of their wheelchair to have their incontinence products changed, toilets (changing places) are practically miles apart. We really do have to work out where they are/when to change otherwise they’re sat in faeces for hours. Think extra large baby changing.

So before we start building a ‘tampon changing place’, please can we spend it on a more deserving cause.

And, don’t get me started on ‘bathroom’.

This thread has derailed spectacularly!… How are we ever going to rule the world if we can’t agree that a few more public toilets would be a good thing. Come on, we can do this! 💪

So? Who said it's legal? They physically can do it, while it being illegal.

"Tampon changing rooms" - Easily the most ridiculous thing Ive heard so far this year.
Ive never yet change my [whatever I happen to be using] and not also used the loo.
And in the UK........ toilet, loo. - never "bathroom"

What is harmless about permitting a fetishist to draw women into discussing their toilet and menstrual habits? (Yes, some men fetishise such things, get off on hearing women pee, and rifle sanitary bins for - well you can guess.<boak>)

It absolutely is wank fodder for such men.

And everyone knows, your mum always made you ‘try’ when you were near a toilet.

Never pass up the opportunity, as some king once said, I think. I've never in my life changed a tampon without using the loo. Why on earth would anyone build 'tampon changing facilities' with cubicles, disposal bins, washbasins & hand-driers - & NOT put a toilet in there? Bizarre idea.

Same! Maybe if someone asks for a bathroom and not the toilet/loo then they will get told there aren’t any.

I think it was the OPs aggressive response and insistence that all pubs have toilets signposted 'bathroom' to what was originally an innocent question as to whether she was in the US that is the problem.

@graceinspace999 Have you seen the “Just can’t wait” card available from the Bowel & Bladder Community?

You can have a physical card, as well as a download for your phone wallet. I’ve had one for about a year, and it’s proven very useful on at 4 occasions since then. Was free.

.

Good point. None of this post sounds real after reviewing it.
I mean saying everyone calls it the bathroom was the first give away and then saying they don’t use the toilet…

The OP also said when she did find a loo she had a long queue. And women are disadvantaged by longer queues than men for the toilets that there are, meaning they are even less well served than the men by the same reduced provision. It all adds up to make the lack of public toilets an issue for more women than men overall, even if it's not a significantly bigger issue for you than your husband.

That said, plenty of cities now provide pop up urinals in the vain hope of stopping men pissing everywhere. No pop up toilets for women though. So yes actually, there are "mens toilets dotted about cities without corresponding women's".

And whether you think men should piss in the street, and I certainly do not, it is nevertheless a fact that they do do so much more than women. So while one can certainly take an abstract view where one assumes equally good public behaviour between men and women and based on that claim both sexes suffer equally, the actual real world limitations are currently hitting women more than men.

It's not sexism to point out that the real world impact of giving men and women "equal" provisions is not in fact equal.

This thread is batshit. Thanks for the laughs OP.

Exactly what I do.

well said.

Ugh...... Im so annoyed I bothered to comment earlier cos Id felt sure it was a man posting but decided no...... "be kind"....... when clearly it was/is a creepy agp man.