Do you feel nervous or uneasy using unisex loos?

[Motuihe]

It is a bit offputting when several men are washing hands and whistling away and you are only woman there. Or if you leave a loo at same time and clock eyes with a bloke.

Same. Our ladies loos are rank sometimes.I feel sorry for our poor cleaner. I use the much cleaner unisex ones on another floor.

I actively hate going out in Edinburgh now as it seems so many of the venues and restaurants have done this. The first time I encountered the "cubicals with urinals" and "cubicals" sign it was really dark, I was at a friend's 40th so I didn't see the tiny sign that said "with urinals" so I walked in on a friend of my friend (who i didn't know) who was peeing in the urinal section. He got a fright, I got a fright and jumped back. I then quickly scuttled into the "cubicals" one, feeling mortified. I apologised to him when I saw him at the bar and he said don't worry and muttered "I really hate that they've done this, just return it to male and female" and I said, yep I agree, this is the first time I've experienced this. He said this is becoming normal in Edinburgh unfortunately. I don't think I really appreciated how important single sex loos were until this. I was sexually assaulted years ago in the toilets and the only thing that saved me (ie it didn't turn into full rape) was that a girl noticed the man following me in and her banging on the cubicle he'd shoved me into was enough to loosen his grip and I managed to run out. Nobody would have saved me if I'd gone into one of those "cubicals". Ugh.

Literally couldn't care less. When you've tolerated a weekend of Glastonbury toilets many times, anything is better. There's less queues when it's unisex, in my experience.

Oh yes it is! All posters are welcome to share this space! But pls wash hands after😎

Much prefer single sex but I haven't been anxious in unisex ones, maybe because the ones I've been in have been fairly well designed rather than normal block of toilets with a new sign on the door.

But yesterday I went into the single room unisex toilet at the supermarket and the toilet was literally full of shit, it was everywhere and it absolutely reeked. I have never seen similar in women's loos. Immediately walked out and informed the poor staff that will have to deal with that.

Omfg that’s grim. And this is what we’re expected to put up with. Horrible.

I can deal with festival toilets when I'm at a festival, I've been to many, but I would rather that wasn't the standard acceptable level of cleanliness!

No, it doesn't feel any different to me than using a single sex toilet.

I went to the Yorkshire sculpture park a few years ago and walked into the loo area to be confronted with a great big bloke coming out! Thought I’d gone in the wrong door and scurried out thinking I’d got the wrong ones till I realised they were unisex! I had to get DH to go into the area with me as I felt really uncomfortable!

One reason a lot parents on here use for not allowing their small male children into the men’s toilets alone, and the reason men seem to be encouraged to take small female children into the women’s, is to avoid having to see grown adults pissing in urinals. What will they all do when no matter where you may have to see that?

There’s certainly a sliding scale of how comfortable I feel in them, but given the choice I’d always choose single sex.

And no, sharing a loo in my own home is not the same.

It depends on how they are managed more than the sex separation for me.

In a local shopping centre the unisex loos are immaculate. Staff are constantly in and out cleaning and freshening, they feel safe and the shared area is open and spacious.

By contrast, the women's loos at Victoria station are disgusting and you have to queue in a humid stench pit for the pleasure of using them.

I've come across a lovely set-up in a bar where there is a big open space with a huge circular fountain for handwashing and then two (ungendered) rows of cubicles curving around the wall. You don't have to stand next to anyone to wash your hands, as there is so much space around the edge of the fountain, and the water is operated by a foot pedal, so no one is touching taps with their hands.

I'd much rather this arrangement than a dingy women's toilet where a random person could follow you in, and no one would know.

So, no unisex toilets don't bother me. What bothers me are badly-designed, unkempt, badly-lit, uncleanly toilets.

Having done summer hols by car ferry to France every year from early childhood, there is not much else over there so I’ve never minded them.

Women’s public loos also have pee on the seats and dribbles on the floor - or worst of all the results of flooding that won’t flush which I was subjected to in the last public loos in Richmond so I don’t think there’s that much difference in cleanliness. I’ve seen vile things in the ladies’ and obvs I don’t go into the men’s but I assume a different variety of vile. They’re loos.

Yes I do frankly. Particularly at night. Walking in to an area where there are small enclosed spaces with lockable doors away from the rest of the public can seen quite intimidating. And of course that applies to men’s loos and unisex toos alike, but at least in single sex facility you are alerted to the presence of a lurking man straightaway and the men themselves are aware they shouldn’t be in there either.

Unisex loos are often not as hygienic as women’s single sex loos.

And in the past, when I was menstruating heavily, I would just feel more at ease using a women’s only facility. Ditto buying sanitary pads from a vending machine in the loo or rinsing out a moon cup. I would personally feel more comfortable doing this in front of female strangers or colleagues rather than random males or my male boss for example.

I also know women at work who have had a miscarriage in a women’s loo, suffered morning sickness, or who had a good cry in the single sex loo away from the scrutiny of men, or who have had to sort out leaky breasts when breast-feeding , so women’s loos can act as a bit of a refuge for many activities other than just the usual.

Doesn't bother me.

When out drinking, I tend to go in the men's anyway as there's no queue. The men's toilets are always cleaner than the women's!

But ok if CEO is a woman?

Velvera seems* *determined that we shouldn't prefer single sex but I very,very much do! The stink and wee on the seats from men's or unisex toilets are far worse.

Yes I don’t like it especially as I feel vulnerable in the toilets, I don’t want to see men in there too.

Also there have been enough incidences of upskirting under cubicles and incidences of hidden cameras in work, public and hotel lavatories that it makes me less inclined to trust the intentions of some men frankly.

Doesn’t bother me at all. And for those complaining about piss on the seats, there’s no shortage of that in female-only toilets.

This, 100%.

I don’t use them. Full stop.

I've stayed on a gazillion French, German, Dutch and Italian campsites and can't remember ever coming across proper unisex facilities.

OT, but shouldn't they be called omnisex loos.

I hate them. Not because of embarrassment or fear but just hygiene.
The ones I use are mainly self contained but they are smelly, basically smell like gents.
I take wipes and wipe seat, handles etc.