Everyman Cinemas and toilets for 'everyone', a woman's review. AIBU?

[bigbadbadger]

Apologies if this seems frivolous, I know that women have bigger fish to fry in terms of oppression but this pissed me off so I thought I would share.

I thought it would be nice to have a treat and go to the fancy Everyman cinema in Leeds to watch the bum numbing 3 hour Avengers End Game. The film was great, the seats were great, the food and drinks lovely, all fantastic. The toilets were absolutely revolting and utterly unacceptable.

Designed as a unisex block with a closed door labeled 'everyone' you walk into a long corridor with enclosed cubicle/sink units on each side, every toilet seat and floor was covered in urine. I had to clean the toilet before my daughter could use it and it absolutely stank. I needed to go during the film and walked in as a woman forcefully pushed out past me looking distressed. In the second cubicle was a man urinating with the door wide open, shouting to his friend. I turned to leave and heard him loudly fart and shout 'there goes another one', I am not sure if he was referring to his fart or another woman being forced to leave the toilet. I found a female member of staff who said she could not do anything but would 'pass it on to management'.

The thought of DD12 going into the toilets to be confronted with that is quite upsetting to me, and parents who had not visited the toilets themselves might be unaware of the situation as the toilets are hidden round the corner.

I used the disabled facilities which I feel upset about doing. I am not a selfish inconsiderate person. When I exited there were 2 women waiting, looking embarrassed.

I wrote and complained when I got home. The reply basically said "That's the way they were designed and that's how they'll stay. If we refurb we'll take your views into account".

So the Everyman cinema expects it's female customers to be unpaid cleaners for them, and offers no increase in frequency of cleaning, have staff check cleanliness, have staff trained to deal with poor behaviour etc. It's just tough shit women, if men want to piss on the floor they can, and we expect you to clean it up.

AIBU to think that the Everyman should not expect it's female customers to work as unpaid cleaners when they visit?

Does anyone know if all the EveryMAN cinemas have this set up?

Not in our nearest either.

@EndoplasmicReticulum I wonder if that is because of complaints of because Leeds is, well, Leeds.

We have a brand new Everyman nearby and went there to see Endgame. I'm pleased to say they did not have mixed sex toilets. Just lovely separate men's and ladies loos.

I haven't actually come across many mixed sex toilets, but the few I have were as you described. I have no idea how men can walk out of a cubicle to a queue of waiting people knowing they've left piss all over the floor and seat.

I only have boys and they never leave the loo at home like that. (And hate using the school toilets because of the state they're in)

I used to clean both male teacher toilets and the male boy toilets, as well as the females toilets. It was vile in the men's. They just piss everywhere. It always, always stank. I mean, even the teachers toilets. I hate mixed toilets mostly because they're just always so so unclean and disgusting.

Mixed sex toilets are designed by men for men (and predators). Women and children's needs don't even register

So it seems that Everyman Leeds is the sole unisex toilet facility. Shame on them.

Cinemas are full of unaccompanied children. Did they consult parents, I wonder?

I wonder if its worth giving customer services positive feedback if they have separate toilets, and mention things like how you feel comfortable taking your daughter to the venue?

It happened at a toilet block on a train platform which had been turned from a ladies into unisex. I was with my children. The man refused to shut the cubicle door. I told station staff who were sympathetic but said it happened all the time. The second incident happened in a restaurant. I told the manager who was not happy but obviously, feeling vulnerable didn’t stick around to get a good look.
Unisex means that if men follow women and girls into confined spaces they cannot be challenged.

found a female member of staff who said she could not do anything but would 'pass it on to management'

Management can do plenty. Assuming they won't change the layout they can start with signs saying cubicle doors must be shut when in use. Anyone ignoring this will be asked to leave the premises with no refund.

Cinemas are private property which admit the public subject to whatever conditions (avoiding discrimination) the management wish to impose.

I don't have an absolute objection to unisex toilets. In a concert hall or theatre where everyone is going at the same time in the intervals and there will be a lot of people around I don't have a problem with. A cinema is different as people go during the film and there won't be safety in numbers.

None one of the 3 independent cinemas in Edinburgh has unisex loos nor the branch of the chain I go to.

The man refused to shut the cubicle door. I told station staff who were sympathetic but said it happened all the time

That's just a pathetic excuse really. The station operator has every right to intervene.

Cinemas are full of unaccompanied children. Did they consult parents, I wonder?

^^ This was my thought. I have checked and the unisex toilets aren't mentioned on the website and they are tucked away at the back so you wouldn't know. This means you could go in and start watching a film, and let your 10yo pop out mid film having no idea there could be a man with his penis out in the toilets .

@LassOfFyvie very clear concise points, do you mind if I steal your wording for my follow up?

I am shocked this is such a common experience in unisex toilets, how the hell does anyone think they are a good idea?

Please do. Fgs most cinemas have rules that if you bring in your own food and drink they can ask you to leave. There is no reason why they can't have a rule about toilet behaviour.

My family went to a restaurant recently which had a similar toilet setup.
There were signs in every cubicle reminding users to close the toilet door.
I had sent DD2 aged 7 to use the toilets on her own, without checking them out. Yuk.

If a man is using a cubicle in a mixed sex bathroom with the door open, is that an offence? Would it be an offence if he knew that women or children were in the main area?

Dh has just told me that the main Ladies Loos at Waterloo Station are out of order, so everyone is in the men’s.
There’s an area in the men’s of urinals which can been seen just around the corner from the cubicles. He thought they are still in use as he heard a man telling a woman not to go round the corner as the urinals were being used! How lovely for any woman who accidentally walked around the corner!

I would have thought having your penis exposed in public is an offence but the fact his back is to you means you can't see anything. A man pissing in the street is offending public decency but I think that is more the urine in the street than his penis being exposed, as long as you can't see it!

I went to a bar in Leeds (what is it with men in Leeds!!) and a bloke started mooning at his mates. The manager immediately removed him, that is what you would expect. It's ludicrous to suggest they cannot do anything.

If a man is using a cubicle in a mixed sex bathroom with the door open, is that an offence? Would it be an offence if he knew that women or children were in the main area?

I wondered about that. In Scotland it could be a breach of the peace. To prove a breach of the peace, the most important things to prove are that someone was alarmed, annoyed or disturbed by the incident.

I think it's common for men not to close the door.

Some of our toilets at work have been made unisex and this is what men do. We now have signs up telling men to shut the doors!

So all the women trek all the way over to the other building where the toilets are still sex segregated. And only the men use the unisex ones.

I didn't think it would count as indecent exposure as long as you cant see his genitals, but found this;

''Any person who carries out an act of obscene nature in the public can also be charged with ‘outraging public decency’. You can outrage public decency if you behave in a lewd, obscene or disgusting nature.''

west-midlands.police.uk/your-options/flashing-indecent-exposure-and-sex-acts-public

Why aren't the doors self closing?

Cinemas are full of unaccompanied children. Did they consult parents, I wonder?

Good point to emphasise.

TripAdvisor reviews may prompt rethinks.

Everyman cinemas....sounds like an apt name alright - every man is welcome, every woman can put up or shut up.

What a wonderful new era the trans rights movement has ushered in!

What would happen if people reported it to the police? I'm assuming that you wouldn't be able to take a picture to show what was going on as that would be a whole different problem, so I don'[t know how you can prove what went on, but if enough people reported it, maybe they would be able to have a word with the management. Or maybe if it was also reported to the Health and Safety Executive, or Trading Standards or teh council... there must be somebody that people could report this to and expect them to be able to do something you'd have thought!

I think it's worthwhile with a complaint like this to really focus your complaint.

With the clenliness thing - that is just not acceptable, and really it's not totally about women vs men. I have been in very similar women's toilets, usually in clubs and places like that where people are drinking. And there are a lot of men that do not like that kind of filth in their toilets either.
If that's the main beef you have I would really focus on it - the unisex thing makes it more likely they will push back because they think that is your main agenda. But filthy toilets are not acceptable and there are ways to keep them cleaner. Sharing photos is a good approach, it is the most likely thing to make them take notice.

As far as men peeing with the door open - I can see why this happens in men's toilets. It might be that they need some signage in the uisex toilets to remind people that it's not appropriate in a mixed sex environment - and that it can get them kicked out or even accused of something illegal. Again, I might approach that problem with a very specific complaint, maybe in a way that makes them start thinking about what it will look like when the police are called because a 12 year old girl is being flashed by a grown man.
If you want to complain about the concept, you should, but they may not be so inclined to respond.