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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to suggest emailing Andy Burnham about access to women’s toilets?

239 replies

UnDeuxTwuh · 20/05/2026 13:24

Aibu to suggest you can email Andy Burnham if you are what he calls one of the “tiny, tiny, tiny number of people” who believe that men including “transgender women” should not be allowed to use women’s toilets.

[email protected]

Perhaps if he gets enough emails he’ll see he is not right.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
CornishDaughteroftheDawn · 22/05/2026 07:28

TheGreatDownandOut · 21/05/2026 15:58

10% of rapes being committed by strangers is still 10% too many.
Have you ever thought that the reason the statistics are skewed that way is because men who are strangers to women don’t often have the opportunity to rape or assault a woman they don’t know BECAUSE single sex spaces exist?

Don’t overload poor old Portsalut with all that pesky logic, it sounds like they are struggling to cope with the idea of women as full human beings in itself, let alone having actual rights .

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 12:07

PortSalutPlease · 21/05/2026 01:40

So how will these women who can’t even look at a man feel about trans men, who look more masculine than transwomen being in the “women only” toilet? Because that’s what legally has to happen now. It’s almost as if you were all so blinded by prejudice you didn’t really think all this through….

Dying with laughter at the notion that trans identified women look more masculine than trans identified men.
Its like you've never seen either.

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 12:18

PortSalutPlease · 21/05/2026 01:34

Transwomen aren’t “blokes in dresses”. It is, however now much easier for a man to enter the women’s loos - he doesn’t even need a dress. Can just say he’s a trans man and was born female. It’s all an absolutely massive waste of time. Only that isn’t happening, and nor were transwomen going into toilets to assault women.

Over 90% of women who are raped or sexually assaulted are attacked by someone known to them, and 57% by a partner or ex-partner. Over a third of women who are sexually assaulted are attacked in their own homes. The problem is not transwomen using the loo at the shopping centre or pizza express. It’s the men living with us in our homes. And it’s really weird and frankly tired that mumsnetters like to be so up in arms about transpeople and bathrooms and completely ignore the genuine threats to women’s safety.

Considering that of the men incarcerated the division is that 67% of trans identified men are in for sex offences as compared to 13% of other men. It's VERY clear that they are substantially more dangerous to women and children per capita than other men.
This makes some sense as these are generally men with fetishes and/or mental health problems who are happy to disregard women's boundaries and become extremely threatening towards women when denied.
I shall therefore continue to consider then as at least as much of a potential threat as any other man. You can do what you like, but you don't get to tell better informed women than yourself what we are allowed to be concerned about.

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 12:23

PortSalutPlease · 21/05/2026 01:43

It also seems to have completely passed you by that there are people who do not have a defined sex in clinical/genetic terms. You can have XY chromosomes and be born in a female presenting body, and vice versa. You can only have one sex chromosome, or many duplicated sex chromosomes, and have sex characteristics and/or genitalia that don’t fit neatly into either classification.

Ah the "but intersex" argument

TIMs are not men with DSDs, they're just men and all DSDs are sex specific. A disorder has occurred either along the male development path or the female development path.
This is not relevant to men using women only single sex spaces.

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 12:27

PortSalutPlease · 21/05/2026 01:50

You literally said there are women who would be frightened at the sight of male presenting people in the loo. Hmm

Trans Identified women are not men though. And quite frankly, do not look like men in real life. Just as trans identified men do not look like women.

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 12:31

Endoadnowarrior · 21/05/2026 01:47

Absolutely THIS!
The danger really is from gender conforming men!!!

Where exactly are trans people supposed to use the toilet?

Because trans women will be at risk in the gents, and trans men (and also "butch"; androgynous or "tomboy" women!) will make women feel unsafe in ladies because they far more often look male than obviously trans.

So do we then somehow need to provide seperate spaces for trans men and trans women, without making them sitting ducks for violence and harassment?

It seems thats exactly what the anti-trans brigade actually want, and exactly what is happening in the name of "protecting women's hard won rights". It's punching down and using trans people as protection from predators and bigots - like human shields- rather than addressing the issue of the predators and bigots!

Edited

There is no evidence that trans identified men are at any risk in men specific spaces. There is however, evidence that they CAUSE a risk in women's spaces. Assaults and rapes HAVE happened.

You are talking out of your arse.

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 12:36

PortSalutPlease · 21/05/2026 01:53

People with those conditions aren’t trans, they are intersex. Again, you seem to be forgetting what you said, which was “people can’t change sex”. To which I pointed out that there are people who don’t fall into the standard categories of sex, and what about them?

Considering you are so keen to be so vocal, you seem curiously uninformed.

Its not @LiviaDrusillaAugusta who is uninformed about DSDs. It's you. See my previous post and perhaps do some actual research rather than repeating nonsense you saw on Reddit or X

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 12:45

Well there we go, any woman not sufficiently feminine enough can now be reasonably asked to prove her sex.

Link

it may be legitimate to ask individuals to provide confirmation that they are of the eligible sex by proportionate means. Evidence of such concern might include the individual’s physique or physical appearance, behaviour or concerns raised by other service users

Equality Act 2010: Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations, 2026

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-draft-code-of-practice-for-services-public-functions-and-associations-2026/equality-act-2010-draft-code-of-practice-for-services-public-functions-and-associations-2026

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 12:45

Endoadnowarrior · 21/05/2026 01:58

What about the threat to the trans man who uses the ladies? The threat of abuse from members of the public, discrimination from staff asking them to leave etc. Or maybe they should be made to carry their original birth certificate with them at all times... ot maybe they could wear a badge to identify themselves, maybe a pink triangle... hmmm. Now where has THAT idea been used before in history?

I can guarantee that most people will have encountered trans men in recent years without having the slightest clue they were born female. And guess what, I bet there are some men who will pretend to be trans men to access women's spaces!

Until efforts are focused on educating men, tackling mysgony and ensuring men who rape, beat, groom and harm women are brought to justice, women will remain unsafe. Restricting and humiliating a tiny marginalised proportion of the population who are trans is not going to protect women.

Men are not a marginalised minority. And men who identify as women are definitely not marginalised in the current climate. Indeed they seem to be positively lionised. Their every demand has been pandered to at the expense of women's safety and dignity. And when they are told no, they become dangerous and threatening. No truly marginalised group would react that way.

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 12:48

PortSalutPlease · 21/05/2026 01:59

I actually don’t have the time or crayons to explain this to you. Think hard. Think REALLY HARD. What is the very obvious reason it would be safer for a woman if someone doesn’t have a penis….?

Object rape exists. GBH exists. Murder exists.
A penis is not required.

Balloonhearts · 22/05/2026 12:56

Francine84 · 20/05/2026 16:12

Yawnnnnnn. Why not concern yourself with something that actually matters? What harm have trans people ever done to you, or anyone? Give it a bloody rest and get a life.

How about Michelle Martinez (previously Miguel) who raped a 10 year old girl in a bathroom? Or Lexi-Rose Crawford who has been jailed for the SECOND conviction of child sex abuse? Or Katie Dolakowki who sexually assaulted a 10 year old girl in a toilet at Morrisons? ‘She’ also previously tried to film a 12 year old girl in the toilet at Asda. Want me to carry on?

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 13:01

PortSalutPlease · 21/05/2026 08:31

Do try and keep up dear. It’s not just transwomen who are put at risk - anyone who doesn’t fit the performative gender construct is affected. Look at the number of short haired lesbians who have been on the receiving end of abuse, for example, for going into the women’s toilets, as have several women with facial hair due to PCOS. And if a masculine presenting transman tries to use the ladies’, as dictated by his biological sex, I bet you’d be the first to be up in arms that there was someone who looked like a man in the ladies’. And what’s to stop biological men who did want to get into the ladies’ from just saying they’re a transman? Will you have
someone checking genitalia on the doors? What about intersex people - where would you like them to go? How about children too young to go on their own who happen to look older than their age? My DS is only 8 but already taller than most 13 year olds. He has a learning disability so cannot go in alone and cannot wait if the disabled isn’t free.

I think you just hit TRA bingo in one post

That's some impressive bullshitting.

CornishDaughteroftheDawn · 22/05/2026 13:05

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 12:45

Well there we go, any woman not sufficiently feminine enough can now be reasonably asked to prove her sex.

Link

it may be legitimate to ask individuals to provide confirmation that they are of the eligible sex by proportionate means. Evidence of such concern might include the individual’s physique or physical appearance, behaviour or concerns raised by other service users

Can you link to where it says women have to be ‘feminine enough’ please?

I’ve done a search on the whole document and the only thing that comes up on that word is feminine hygiene products.

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2026 13:08

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 12:45

Well there we go, any woman not sufficiently feminine enough can now be reasonably asked to prove her sex.

Link

it may be legitimate to ask individuals to provide confirmation that they are of the eligible sex by proportionate means. Evidence of such concern might include the individual’s physique or physical appearance, behaviour or concerns raised by other service users

Don't be ridiculous. There are no degrees of being a woman. Either you are one or you aren't

ElenOfTheWays · 22/05/2026 13:10

AgnesMcDoo · 21/05/2026 15:25

He’s out campaigning for the next number of months.

he will read zero emails

Are we certain he CAN read?
He certainly can't read a room anyway

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 13:56

CornishDaughteroftheDawn · 22/05/2026 13:05

Can you link to where it says women have to be ‘feminine enough’ please?

I’ve done a search on the whole document and the only thing that comes up on that word is feminine hygiene products.

The italics piece refers to service users having concerns about other service users based on physical appearance.

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 13:58

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2026 13:08

Don't be ridiculous. There are no degrees of being a woman. Either you are one or you aren't

Well yes. But that doesn't mean other people may not question your sex, seeing as how we don't walk around with genitalia on show or sex at birth tattooed on foreheads.

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2026 14:04

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 13:58

Well yes. But that doesn't mean other people may not question your sex, seeing as how we don't walk around with genitalia on show or sex at birth tattooed on foreheads.

In the vast majority of cases it would be obvious the second the woman opened her mouth.

Fixing this comes back to men. If men do the right thing and stay out of women's spaces, there will be no need to question anything. Men broke the social contract, they need now fix it.

AccidentallyWesAnderson · 22/05/2026 14:27

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 13:58

Well yes. But that doesn't mean other people may not question your sex, seeing as how we don't walk around with genitalia on show or sex at birth tattooed on foreheads.

I’ve seen this a lot by TRA’s losing their minds about ‘cis’ 🤮 women who look masculine getting grief in toilets (which has only just started apparently 🙄).

If you actively CHOOSE to present in such a way that you might be deemed to be the opposite sex based on sex stereotypes, why would you be offended or surprised to be challenged in a space that you’d expect to be challenged in, where women might feel vulnerable?

Lassofnorth · 22/05/2026 14:31

If he gets in Îd rather he prioritize the care system as mentioned in his speech today.

Lassofnorth · 22/05/2026 14:36

How would you know that someone that looks like a woman isn’t a woman .Women’s changing rooms maybe but in a toilette?

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 14:36

AccidentallyWesAnderson · 22/05/2026 14:27

I’ve seen this a lot by TRA’s losing their minds about ‘cis’ 🤮 women who look masculine getting grief in toilets (which has only just started apparently 🙄).

If you actively CHOOSE to present in such a way that you might be deemed to be the opposite sex based on sex stereotypes, why would you be offended or surprised to be challenged in a space that you’d expect to be challenged in, where women might feel vulnerable?

Sounds a bit victim blaming to me. Why shouldn't women dress however they want? If that's jeans, baggy t and shirt hair, does that mean you have to put up with abuse? What a weird take from someone who apparently wants safe spaces for women. But only women who like a certain way clearly.

Wearenotborg · 22/05/2026 14:43

Ok. Own up. Who sent the batshit signal out!?!

AccidentallyWesAnderson · 22/05/2026 14:44

Mt563 · 22/05/2026 14:36

Sounds a bit victim blaming to me. Why shouldn't women dress however they want? If that's jeans, baggy t and shirt hair, does that mean you have to put up with abuse? What a weird take from someone who apparently wants safe spaces for women. But only women who like a certain way clearly.

Challenging someone in such a space isn’t abuse. Women should dress however they like, that’s what being GC is. If I chose to present in such a gender non-conforming way, I wouldn’t care if someone approached me. It would be clear the minute I spoke that I was a woman, I’d prob love the fact they were standing up for their rights.

My post was about TRA’s speaking on behalf of such women, like it’s a ‘gotcha’, which I’m taking with a pinch of salt anyway or those complaining.

Like PP said, if men hadn’t broken the social code of single sex spaces, no one would be getting pulled up because that happens.

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2026 15:07

Lassofnorth · 22/05/2026 14:31

If he gets in Îd rather he prioritize the care system as mentioned in his speech today.

It is a basic expectation of prime ministers that they can deal with more than one thing at a time