Please help - friends work place insisting male who is transitioning to female uses female toilet and female communal changing area - how to word a non discriminatory email to CEO

[Sommelierrrr]

Hi there please could anyone help? My friend is not anti the transition of this man or discriminatory in any way. However, she is concerned about their use of these private women's areas at work. Can anyone suggest how she words an email expressing her discomfort?

This is tricky - are other female colleagues aware and also uncomfortable and could it be sent as a group? It sounds like bullying but your friend could be picked out as transphobic and there might be safety in numbers on this, she can't be the only one affected.

It would be best if the work place took male and female signs off the doors French style so that either gender can enter.

Something I've just seen on another thread sparked a question - do this company provide a private breastfeeding space and would they allow men in there or expect that to be a private space for women.

Just a thought.

There's an article on the Woman's Place website about 'toilets' - some of which may be useful. For instance, the article lists the laws, regulations and recommendations about the need for separate sex provision.

The main point, though, is the CEO's lack of consideration for the views of women. The lack of consultation. The lack of an impact assessment. The coercion of the female workforce to accept a man into their private space speaks volumes about how much the organisations cares about women (not much).

It also speaks volumes about the company that a transgender person feels uncomfortable using male facilities. Has the CEO exploreed why that is the case and taken steps to overcome male employees' hostility towards the transgender person?

womansplaceuk.org/gender-neutral-toilets-dont-work-for-women-2/

There may be some questions for the CEO about breaching the Equality Act 2010?

Women will be discriminated against, by being coerced into accepting a man into their toilets. Their dignity and privacy will be compromised. Men in the organisation will continue to have single sex provision. The two sexes are treated differently and one is being treated unfairly.

The answer is to turn one of the men's toilets into a 'mixed sex' one - open to everyone and anybody.

I wonder if they might get traction by asking for a separate accommodation. The trans narrative often states that if a girl or woman is uncomfortable, she should be the one to change elsewhere. So have the female staff ask for an alternate location. Perhaps then the company will see the ridiculousness of the current approach.

If you listen to the end of the Clara Greed talk in above thread re toilet provision, she references a UN statute no 6 which states women must have access to single-sex provision - the UK is not exempt from it. Might be worth quoting the actual legislation and is you get in touch with Clara she will have all that health and safety and legislative references at her fingertips.

It may be that the person transitioning has requested permission to use the female facilities for validation purposes; that puts the management in a difficult position, as I guess they may be trying to avoid discrimination charges which could be brought were they to refuse. the request.

You could suggest they refer to the Croft vs. Royal Mail judgement which was along similar lines. The judgment found in favour of Royal Mail for asking the employer to use the disabled facilities.

"the employer was not bound by the employee's self-definition in determining whether the change to female gender had occurred. (5) The moment at which a person in C's position was entitled to use the female toilets depended on all the circumstances."
"The employer was entitled to rely for a period of time on the unisex disabled toilet as a sufficient facility. The employer maintained a flexible approach and it was not unreasonable in the circumstances to decline to give a firm date by which C could use the female toilet. The time had not come when the employer was obliged to permit C to use the female toilets."

HASAWA (health and safety law) states the number of toilets per premises and that they have to be separated by sex, not gender.

Your friend is premptong the company breaking the law.

Does the workplace have a disabled toilet? The accessible toilet is usually a gender neutral toilet.

I have worked in one work place where one of the disabled toilets was also designated a trans toilet.

Ge your friend to point out that she is also looking forward as a MTF transgender person may not be comfortable using the male toilet, particularly when they have a period.

Ask CEO how he would react to used sanitary products int he men's toilet.

Point out policies implemented by other organisations when single sex space became mixed eg when the fire brigade first recruited women then a female fire fighter could be in the sleeping space alone, she could be there with several men but not with an individual man both to protect her from and sex based violence or bullying and to protect the man from false accusations.

Under the equality act both sex and gender identity are protected. Asking the MTF trans person to use the disabled toilet is not discrimination because you also ask disabled employees to use it. In addition there is more space and usually a full length mirror so a person can check how they look before leaving, ideal for someone who may not be comfortable adjusting clothing in the communal part of the ladies.

". The trans narrative often states that if a girl or woman is uncomfortable, she should be the one to change elsewhere. So have the female staff ask for an alternate location. Perhaps then the company will see the ridiculousness of the current approach."
Who is that new space for though? Women? In which case it includes TW surely.

Why this idea that in France all the toilets are for anyone.

The times I've been there they've been labelled men women just like the UK

Suggesting that trans peopel use facilities for disabled people is shit for disabled poeple.

In all honesty in your firneds shoes i woldn't do anythign as I wouldn't want to be called in to hr and possibly disclplined / sacked. I am a wuss though. I don't think that work woudl be at all sympathetic thouugh > mine are very heavily promotoing everything trans via both the LGB and feminis (renamed "gender") groups. To the exclusion of everythng else. Even though there are no trans people thatI am aware of and lots of non white poeple,women, there is a massive pay gap etc etc.

Nothing There was a mixed sex toilet at my french camp site this year. It was dire and scary.

Right - so that's 1.

The idea that "Europe" has all mixed sex failities has come from a bunch of TRAs in USA.

Suggesting that trans peopel use facilities for disabled people is shit for disabled poeple

As a disabled person I can say my life is much more impacted by the toilets being the default baby changing.

In the workplace I'm most impacted by people using the accessible toilet to get changed before they go out after work.

As a disabled woman who can use some ladies facilities I never have to share space with anyone while washing my hands in the accessible toilet, I do in the ladies.

Leicester uni library has a cafe with real gender neutral toilets, a heavy floor to ceiling door with a good lock. Once inside you have a toilet, hand basin, st bin, hand dryer and paper towels. There are about 5 or 6 of them.

Thanks so much for all helpful feedback it's very much appreciated. I've passed this on to my friend and wonder if there is anything else posters feel she should be cautious of or aware of?

We had this where I work. A male transitioning to a female. Where I work there are approx 200 men compared to roughly 10 women. We all received a letter from HR explaining the situation and informing us that the person would be using the women's facilities. We were offered the right to object to that. As far as I know no one did.

If the workplace wish to convert their ladies toilets to mixed sex then they need to ensure they are complying with the relevant regulations.
Namely that the toilets need to be fully enclosed rooms, NOT cubicles and the hand washing facilities need to be inside aforementioned fully enclosed room.

I would send an anonymous email from a throwaway account to management telling them that women are concerned, etc. send them the Women's Place resources

Such a great idea to use a throw away email account for stuff like this

I'd be inclined to email the CEO something along the lines of:

'Thank you for informing us about X using the female toilets in the future. As I am sure you are aware, as it is illegal for a workplace to have mixed toilets unless they are completely enclosed cubicles with a washbasin inside we assume there will be a period of building work shortly. Could you let us know when this building work will be taking place and what arrangements will be in place during said building work.

We of course wish X every happiness in their journey.'

Also note that toilets are one thing and communal changing is another. Communal changing rooms offer no privacy and it is completely unacceptable to expect women to change with a man in this situation.

I like titchys email. Compassionate but clear.

Excuse my ignorance on this but can I ask. Can people self ID in the U.K. at the moment and if not what changes does a person have to make to change their gender?