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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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Original poster

Is it legal for a man to use the women's toilet in England? Scotland?

191 replies

SerciteEland · 15/01/2018 17:31

If not, can someone please point me to where I can find text of the law regulating this? I've tried searching here to no avail: www.legislation.gov.uk/search

I was always under the impression that it WAS illegal for a man to enter the women's room but now I'm not so sure and it seems a rather hard thing to search for.

I assume it must be since apparently a reading of the 2010 Equality Act has been invoked to allow transgender women to use the women's room. www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36395646

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/19

But I can't seem to find the original law prohibiting men from being in the ladies'.

Further, I've only really started to pay attention to the trans issue within the last few years (first as an ally from 2011-2014 and thereafter becoming progressively more and more gender critical after hitting peak trans in 2014/15) and I somehow entirely missed that it's now apparently legal for trans women to be in the women's bathrooms. Does anyone have links to good information on how this happened (focused on the UK)? And have there been any documented abuses of it so far?

OP posts:
Grimbles · 25/08/2019 09:33

Just letting you all know too that I'm putting this forum on display in the pub I own to show what vile pond life stay at home parents are.

Ooooooooh...... tremble 😱

Lamahaha · 25/08/2019 09:37

ooops. posted too soon, I totally missed page 2 and qgd's now deleted posts. Missed all the fun!

GCAcademic · 25/08/2019 09:53

Ooh, I missed the bit where we must all be stay at home parents. I suppose that not being able to have kids and work goes hand in hand with not being able to visit pubs, restaurants and sporting facilities, lol!

Datun · 25/08/2019 09:59

Because kids are never taken to restaurants, and certainly never go to sporting facilities. That's the last place you take a child.

Or, in fact any other place that has public toilets!

I think that poster is a trolling teen.

TurboTeddy · 25/08/2019 10:03

Just letting you all know too that I'm putting this forum on display in the pub I own

At just after 9am on a Sunday morning? That's either one hell of a lock in OR it's a Wetherspoons.

sackrifice · 25/08/2019 10:05

Just letting you all know too that I'm putting this forum on display in the pub I own to show what vile pond life stay at home parents are.

Genuinely cracked me up this. Oh my days.

NotBadConsidering · 25/08/2019 10:05

How will it be displayed? Power point? Printed? Either way can you make sure everyone can see any read this:

GOOGLE KATIE DOLATOWSKI IF YOU DON’T THINK WOMEN HAVE ANYTHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT.

Feel free to enlarge the font etc.

sackrifice · 25/08/2019 10:07

If it ain't LAMINATED and in COMIC SANS I ain't interested.

NotBadConsidering · 25/08/2019 10:10

🤣🤣 laminated!

Birdsfoottrefoil · 25/08/2019 10:12

Just letting you all know too that I'm putting this forum on display in the pub I own

Good. Could you particularly highlight the post that gives the correct information about the Equality Act : that in order not to discriminate agains transwo men they must be treated the same as other men and use the toilets appropriate to their sex - the men’s.

GCAcademic · 25/08/2019 10:13

I suppose having my words displayed in a pub is the closest I’ll ever come to being in a pub. You know, being a woman and that.

sackrifice · 25/08/2019 10:16

I suppose having my words displayed in a pub is the closest I’ll ever come to being in a pub. You know, being a woman and that

If they make the font big enough you could perhaps read it from the door?

sackrifice · 25/08/2019 10:17

Not that i think they have a pub in the first place.

A laminator, yes. Pub, not a chance.

Iminthewrongstory · 25/08/2019 10:19

This thread has taken an unexpected and hilarious turn.

Datun · 25/08/2019 10:27

Just letting you all know too that I'm putting this forum on display in the pub I own to show what vile pond life stay at home parents are.

I feel I ought to point out that telling your (fictitious) pub clientele, who happen to be parents, that they are vile pondlife may effect your (imaginary) income.

SheWhoMustBeSilent · 25/08/2019 10:29

The Equality Act 2010, in Schedule 3, section 27 subsection 6 says this:

(6) The condition is that—

(a) the service is provided for, or is likely to be used by, two or more persons at the same time, and

(b) the circumstances are such that a person of one sex might reasonably object to the presence of a person of the opposite sex.

So, there is provision for women, when using a toilet space that is for more than one person of the female sex at a time can object to any man using that same space and have him removed.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/schedule/3/part/7/crossheading/singlesex-services

ShortCircuit181 · 25/08/2019 10:29

I don't think it helps the case that so many women are happy to use the men's 'in an emergency', something which the majority of blokes wouldn't dream of doing. There needs to be consistency.

GirlDownUnder · 25/08/2019 10:30

Oi oi you lot

Def has a pub - I found it by their sneaky use of subliminal advertising by way of “putting this forum on display” = “laminators”. We were sucked in.

Is it legal for a man to use the women's toilet in England? Scotland?
Datun · 25/08/2019 10:58

ShortCircuit181

I'm sure the last thing that women want to do is use the gents. But in an emergency, what do you suggest? That they wet themselves? Bleed all over their clothes? If men are caught short, their anatomy means they have far more alternatives than women.

There should be no such thing as a woman who needs to use the gents in an emergency. Women's toilet provision should be ample. If it isn't, please don't blame women.

sackrifice · 25/08/2019 11:09

Def has a pub - I found it by their sneaky use of subliminal advertising by way of “putting this forum on display” = “laminators”. We were sucked in.

Dammit jannit.

sackrifice · 25/08/2019 11:09

I don't think it helps the case that so many women are happy to use the men's 'in an emergency'

I don't think 'happy' is the correct descriptor of this situation.

CharlieParley · 25/08/2019 12:17

Crikey, what an entertaining tantrum that was. I can confirm that since giving birth some 20 years ago I have duly stayed at home and not been seen in public. Properly chained to the kitchen sink and all that...

Do you think our visitor would faint if he knew the truth? That out there in the big bad world stay-at-home parents can be found in the wild, frequenting every place he does?

As for the men and women using my bathroom at home - well, yes, people I know. Never at the same time though as there is only one toilet in both of the bathrooms we have. As I live in a household full of men and boys, I have very firmly asserted my boundaries and there is categorically no sharing while I "pee in peace".

GirlDownUnder · 25/08/2019 12:26

This thread is why I heart MN posters. ❤️

We are funny. We can extract the urine without rancour and blimey are we sharp.

You know, I never really see our counterparts take a post as goody as our new friends and make something good out of it.

Maybe our special sewing skills of ‘silk purse out of a sows ear’ is what maketh the women.

GirlDownUnder · 25/08/2019 12:27

Goody = goady obvs 🤦‍♀️

AnyOldPrion · 25/08/2019 12:30

We can extract the

Sounds like you might be the exact woman to help all these men who just want to pee, Girl...

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