Old Vic Loos

[HDDD]

Yay to double the loos - cos queueing for the ladies in the interval is a right faff
But, what, no actual ladies loos? - NO ACTUAL WOMEN ONLY LOOS
twitter.com/oldvictheatre/status/1179336786537005057 - thread
"The Old Vic @oldvictheatre
Our loos now offer ‘self-selection’ rather than being labelled male or female. This takes a descriptive, rather than prescriptive, approach following advice from surveys conducted with focus groups."

What? A system that works for women? But they told us it couldn’t be so!

It's unbelievable that they've had the gall to do this. It's bad enough that they erroneously think this mixed sex set up is acceptable to most people but the kicker is that they have raised money for it on a totally fraudulent basis.

I hope there is a way to take legal action and hit them where it hurts because it seems to me like a slam dunk case of obtaining funds by deception.

Sorry to burst in on this theatrical dilema but I am bursting (and earlier in the day I was) to tell everyone about a public toilet firmly named Women at Baker Street tube station which can be accessed by passer bys.

I have been using the tube for decades and never knew it was there.

There are so few public toilets in London, let alone one that's free, I just had to share.

Meanwhile back in the foyer of woke theatrical management .... I agree that it sounds like money has been raised and not used for the purpose stated.

Would also think anyone who has used the Theatre could contact the planning department in the local council and say what they have built is not on the agreed plans lodged with them.

Am I understanding correctly that anyone can use any toilet they choose? So women can go in to what was formerly the men's and use the cubicles, presumably passing a line of men with their dicks out at the urinals?

And the men are ok with this? I'd assume they'd be just as, if not more horrified. After all women don't have to get their bits out in public to urinate (yet). Are there any men out there who can offer their perspective? Why is this ok with you?

Tempting as it may be to poo in the urinals...

NC for this bc I'm on the twitter thread. I'm so angry about this. I am a survivor of ten years of childhood abuse and I'm v uncomfortable about mixed spaces in toilets. I feel really vulnerable still around men and resent the lack of consideration for women.

But worse than all that is the fact that I ended up in the theatre with my 9 yr old recently and 'gender neutral' was the only option. I opened the door with my daughter to two middle aged men pissing in the urinals.

There was no warning that there'd even be urinals inside. Wtf is wrong with a society which can't imagine the bloody safeguarding issues around this?

With the backlash they are getting on twitter we really need to all follow up and write to as many places as possible.

Although the other thing I'm really tempted to do is let them get the trans experience and stand by one of the men peeing in a urinal and try and engage him in conversation about razors.

Complaint email sent.

Yeah takin* your daughter to the loo and there’s some guys weeing at the urinals.

That’s where we are now. Wee girls having to get a view of random guys dicks

So woke

This makes me so angry. Girls and women should NOT have to view random men's dicks just because we need to pee. FFS

This made me chuckle:

"I see that The Penis Monobogs has started an indefinite run at @oldvictheatre"

twitter.com/TAFKAMacM/status/1179416851878699009?s=19

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD

There is this

www.toiletmap.org.uk/

Ooohh loo. I wonder if they allow reviews? I’m off to check if the Liberty’s loo is on there...

I've emailed the Old Vic and also their sponsors Royal Bank of Canada to express my disappointment

And we also, I think, need to complain to the council and charity commission as money raised for one project should not be used for something different.

Well it is now. I’ve also emailed the site people to ask if they can add if the loos are single or mixed sex as this is very important.

Bank of Canada you say...

Any teachers on here? Am not in London any more but it would be impossible to risk assess for this for pupils at a performance. I would be unable to take pupils and part of their public funding will involve education.

Well worth writing on that basis too.

Does anyone know if the old vic's back stage loos are gender neutral?

There's also the fundraising regulator - they investigate when the charity is accused of making misleading requests for donations.

Well, I came on to see if there was a thread on this!

For a moment I thought of dragging a girlfriend to the theatre and brazening out the cubicles in the men’s urinal-including toilets. But them I thought ‘fuck that!’
We shouldn't need to do this.
I am livid and it’s not the fault of the poor social media elf on twitter.
I’d love to see the minutes of the meeting that decided this.

I feel a FOI request coming on

That fundraising poster doesn't say dad's need a space to take kids to the loo.
I'd be very interested to see the proportion of feedback that asked for this, and how it was decided this issue justified removing all women's toilets.

Ugh I did Not intentionally do that apostrophe on dad's!
There the autocorrect did it again!

BBC article earlier this year on insufficient loo provision in West End theatres.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-46735513

"The Old Vic had the fewest with one toilet for every 56 women.

Many theatres struggle to increase the number of toilets due to their buildings having listed status and the Old Vic is a Grade II-listed building.

The theatre recently launched a £100,000 public fundraising campaign to improve the toilets and access to the theatre featuring Glenda Jackson and Joanna Lumley.

The works will more than double the number of female loos. They have so far raised £52,482"

So if I'm sitting on the toilet my nose will be level with some stinking urinal? And what about sanitary bins and the giant toilet roll wheel? How will there be enough room to fit an actual person in??

I wonder if the celebrities in this ad for the crowdfunder knew they were in fact planning on taking away all women's loos?