Dirty protest over Somerville College, Oxford’s gender‑neutral loos

[WeAreGerbil]

I don't know how to do a share token (can anyone tell me?) but here is the link and text.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/dirty-protest-over-somerville-college-oxfords-genderneutral-loos-bf2jk50lc

A term after an Oxford college introduced gender-neutral lavatories, male students have carried out a “dirty protest” over losing their urinals.

Last week they urinated on the floor of the “gender-neutral” cubicles in the bar at Somerville College, Oxford, and wrote on the wall: “We want our f urinals back”, according to an email sent by the president of the junior common room, Niall Macklin. In a message entitled “I can’t believe I am writing this”, Macklin said: “[Last night] someone took it upon themselves to urinate on the floor of one of the cubicles and inscribe ‘We want our f urinals back’. If you have a problem with the changes please use the democratic process and not dirty protests.

“Otherwise if you could refrain from being a barbaric idiot that would be great.”

Somerville students voted in January to replace “male” and “female” signs with the words “gender-neutral toilets with cubicles”. The lavatories in question no longer feature urinals but have cubicles with male and female symbols.

Somerville, which opened in 1879, was one of Oxford’s first women’s colleges and is Margaret Thatcher’s alma mater. It declares on its website that it was “founded to include the excluded”.

"Gender neutral toilets impacting women? No one gives a shit.
Gender neutral toilets impacting men?
The world takes notice."

Indeed.

Wow, crome. I wonder why they voted it in just two months later after voting it out when some people are clearly still not happy with the idea.

The cis were propagandized: the principal of the college endorsed the change, and the university's LGBTQ Society’s President attended the vote to make sure that it went the right way. To be fair, it was secret and they won on 80% of the vote.

Transactivists are absolutely dogged. Somerville's earlier refusal might have encouraged other colleges to refuse also, and so they needed to reverse the decision to make the momentum unstoppable.

Ah here's yesterday's article from the student newspaper lauding the brave new world:

"a man and a woman using cubicles beside each other will be the norm. One hopes that everyone will feel more comfortable discussing traditionally gendered issues, such as periods, increasing our understanding and ability to sympathise with one another. More importantly, it will mean that for those questioning their gender identity, they are more able to determine who they are, without fear of being marginalised as a consequence of socially constructed gendered signage."

cherwell.org/2018/05/07/colleges-must-get-on-board-with-gender-neutral-toilets/

Voyeurism, rape, and assault, of women is the price men are willing to pay to accommodate their transgender identified male brothers.

Oh right, periods are now ‘gendered’ and not a biological fact that lots of men do not and never will want to talk about.

I remember the Oxford toilet threads. Wasn’t there a massive ‘re-education’ programme between November and January.

With regards to floor to ceiling unisex cubicles is there not an issue there with children locking themselves in? Thinking further are the not issues with more than one person locking themselves (or being locked in) a cubicle?

I just don’t like unisex (without separate single sex) under any circumstances.

This isn't about the needs of children Repeal, don't be silly .

Actually this has made me think that toilets do often have a way of opening them from the outside with a screwdriver or coin in the outside of the lock, which makes them insecure, though many do just have a bolt on the inside which children could get stuck in. I watched Clara Greed earlier linked from another thread at one of the women's meetings saying they had loads of research about women and children's needs around toilets that no one listened to, but now all of a sudden it's all changing to meet the needs without and reference to the actual evidence.

Pratical advice. Loos near places where there is a lot of drinking going on: football grounds; college bars, University rugby clubs etc should have urinals. Blokes drinking pints seem to have a fixed capacity. After a certain point it needs to be pee'd out as at the same rate as more comes in. Men who have drunk large volumes need to access the loo quickly. And their aim may well be impaired. Long queues and many drunk men wont be able to hold it in.

What are we putting our girls through.

"a man and a woman using cubicles beside each other will be the norm. One hopes that everyone will feel more comfortable discussing traditionally gendered issues, such as periods, increasing our understanding and ability to sympathise with one another. More importantly, it will mean that for those questioning their gender identity, they are more able to determine who they are, without fear of being marginalised as a consequence of socially constructed gendered signage."

‘Hey, you in the next cubicle! How’s your period coming along?’

‘Same as ever. How’s the prostate?’

‘Fine. Isn’t it great we can get together and talk like this over a cubicle wall?’

‘Sure is! How about a courtesy flush?’

One hopes that everyone will feel more comfortable discussing traditionally gendered issues, such as periods, increasing our understanding and ability to sympathise with one another.

And for those women who have no desire to talk to people of the opposite sex (other than, perhaps, partners and/ or children), I do hope she will forgive me if I say fuck off with your "hope". Many women, for a variety of reasons, want privacy.

If sink areas were open like in the picture above, they'd probably be cleaner as well.

More importantly, it will mean that for those questioning their gender identity, they are more able to determine who they are, without fear of being marginalised as a consequence of socially constructed gendered signage."

Oh of course. Heaven forbid women should put their own needs and feelings first.

WPUK speech,
'Professor Clara Greed is Professor of Inclusive Urban Planning at the University of the West of England, Bristol, and a specialist in toilet provision with particular emphasis upon women's needs'

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD92aLqgtTA