DH having GC conversations at work/gender neutral toilets

[MermaidUnicorn]

DH got all of this fairly quickly, as he is a rather repressed, straight laced Roman Catholic as opposed to a woke leftie bro. Anyway, he has been having conversations with his female roommate who, whilst not particularly feminist, tends to agree with him about how crazy a lot of it is. In their building (big city law firm) they sometimes have external events and for the duration of them, the womens' toilets become gender neutral, whilst the mens' are left alone. His female colleague was saying out loud at a work event how ridiculous this is and that if toilets are changed, then the mens should be changed too. A (female) junior colleague was standing with them and went absolutely apeshit at her for saying that! Anyway, proud of his work

So great when men speak out as well as women.

His female colleague was saying out loud at a work event how ridiculous this is and that if toilets are changed, then the mens should be changed too. A (female) junior colleague was standing with them and went absolutely apeshit at her for saying that! Anyway, proud of his work smile

On what basis did the junior colleague go apeshit?! How can that possibly be ok?

as opposed to a woke leftie bro.

Even law firms have a lot of GC staff. Lawyers are critical thinkers and many will be aware of the reality of the law versus the rainbow fantasy pr job of the law.

Ask yourself why the gender neutral toilets are only there for events and not permanently?

Its cos they privately think it's a load of arse and are playing a game of keeping up appearances to the outside world.

They know their staff don't want gender neutral toilets and they are more effort than they are worth to deal with all the random acts of resistance and dirty protest.

Let's just say, I've heard stories from people who work at big law firms.

We’re getting mixed sex toilets when we move offices in May. I’m pretty unhappy as are some other people but there doesn’t seem to be any real way to avoid it. I might stick my own signs up

My DH was being interviewed at work, he was asked what gender he is. He laughed and said there's no such thing as gender, you mean sex, and I think you can see what sex I am. He said the young man looked a bit puzzled
I was proud of him

I thought under building regs and health and safety there had to be single sex toilets at work?

Depends on the type of toilet Hermione - if they’re fully enclosed cubicles with sinks then mixed sex is allowed.

I thought under building regs and health and safety there had to be single sex toilets at work?

No they’re allowed if the sinks are in the cubicles which these are.

Where I work we have "gender neutral" loos in place of some single sex loos. Fortunately there are still single sex facilities available. At a recent conference a female colleague was up in arms that most loos are segregated - I very calmly explained that as a person who's had a man try to rape her in what I thought was a safe space, I really do not wish to pee or wash out a mooncup in unisex facilities. Other women on our table chimed in to agree.

In my job I spend a lot of money on big city law firms and if I ever attend an event where this happens I will (a) be having a word with the partners I work with and (b) use other law firms when I can (in the same way I try steer work away from those with a big gender pay gap and/or few female partners).

Good to read that MrsFogi it might be making the woke ones think a bit.

Good to read that MrsFogi it might be making the woke ones think a bit

I doubt it as she hasn’t said anything, just that she would if it happened. I’ve worked at a couple of big city law firms and now spend lots of money at them. I’ve never seen this happen at an event but would, like MrsFogi, object if I did.

Why is it always the women’s loos that become unisex and not the gents?

Could OP explain why her husband’s firm does this? I don’t get it at all

I work in a big law form and posted this week about our firm announcing they were partnering up with stonewall and were putting together a host of changes. I'm appalled. We need to protect our safe spaces, especially at work where we can spend 8-12 hours a day and where so much workplace bullying takes place. Law firms are notoriously misogynistic places to work. Even in firms like mine where the majority of employees are female the vast majority of top management are men.

I plucked up the courage and emailed my female boss about my discomfort and she looked into all and told me she agrees!! We need to challenge the silence and not be afraid to speak up! Yes some colleagues probably thought I was being homophobic by attacking stonewall but the more we speak up the more chance we have of protecting ourselves.

I mean, why the fuck are women constantly expected to budge up to accommodate men?! Leave our spaces/ sport/ education/ refuges/ prisons alone!!

No they’re allowed if the sinks are in the cubicles which these are

There is no legal requirement for the sinks to be in the cubicles in mixed-sex toilets. The only requirement is that the cubicles must be fully-enclosed.

www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/l24.pdf

(the relevant parts are Regulations 20 and 21(3))

"Why is it always the women’s loos that become unisex and not the gents?"

Maybe the logic is that there won't be any urinals out in the open or semi-open. Or it could be that there will be those who wish to use the women's loo who'll yell and scream and stamp their feet if they're not allowed, whereas with the men's, not so much.

Riddley they do it for the money, and also as I expect they are very keen to tick the diversity box. He has also told me that the firm have recently said that gender reassignment surgery will now be covered on the employee private healthcare programme.

He has also told me that the firm have recently said that gender reassignment surgery will now be covered on the employee private healthcare programme.

Good. Rather that than the NHS.

What? So premiums will rise. I wonder if facelifts abs hair transplants will also be covered?

My employer has gone Gender Neutral toilet obsessed, but thankfully, for now, it's in addition to single sex.

People aren't happy about it.

I would be interesting to see who uses it and if it’s their first choice.

Indeed, because I'd rather use the gents than the female-and-others toilets, because at least then you're in with men who haven't gone out of their way to encroach on your boundaries. The safer men to pee next to are likely to be in the men's, so I'll go there.

Interesting, I worked in a very old residential building converted into offices and a lot of the loos were simply a single enclosed room and thus were unisex. Whenever they had an event and external guests were invited, they always converted the single unisex loos into single sex loos - so the exact opposite of what is happening in the OP.

Yes! Use the men’s and throw a holy fit if
someone tells you that you can’t.