Join the mixed-sex loo resistance movement!

[WomanBornNotWorn]

Ideas for what we can do:

Theatres etc - go up to box office loudly asking 'where are the ladies'?' again and again as loudly as you can so the representative has to keep repeating the answer - if you're in a group, take it in turns for variety.

Ring an offending restaurant and book a table for six. Then ask 'I assume you have separate men's and women's loos?' then when they say no, say 'ah no, that doesn't work for us. I'll cancel that and we'll book at (name bitterest rival restaurant that does have separate loos) instead'. Get everyone you know to do it. Make sure you've blocked your number.

Come out of cubicle with full moon cup and wash it out in front of any men present (just pray they're not menophiliac).

Stickers. Lots of stickers.

Learn the statistics so you can recite the evidence of sexual assaults in mixed space etc etc whenever you're contradicted. 'In fact, Home Office statistics show that xx% ... ' etc.

Train your daughters to understand why we are saying no and to have the confidence to speak out. And your sons, too.

We must start using the urinals in men's toilets! Loud and proud, dress hitched up, leg up on the wall.That will get them rethinking ...

Link

One example.

Here's a link to an article about 'gender neutral' Cllr David Smith, & his vigorous campaign for mixed sex toilets in Middlesbrough. gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-…

Here's a second link regarding Cllr Smith's arrest for nine child sex offences. gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-…

Oh I could take my she wee and join them at the urinals, I'd best get the hang of it first as still difficult to use without making a mess

Whats your problem with unisex toilets - do you have a problem with individual cubicals and then a communal sink area or what exactly are you talking about - once you can close the door on your cubicle whats the big deal?

I like it better like this because there are shorter wait times/queues - woman take bloody ages if you go to a woman's only toilet!

Literally everywhere I go it's usually unisex and then a shared sink area - nobody ever seems to have any issue??

Just saw this Twitter feed

twitter.com/MuseumToilets?s=09

Might be a place to start asking questions, it seems an active account, currently at the Museums Association conference in (cough) Brighton!

Men piss on seats

Sometimes when we have a buggy and toddlers we have to leave door open as we can’t fit in

Men piss on the floor too

Men piss on seats and all over the floor.

My main issue is safety. Of course not ALL men are dangerous (sigh), but a life time's experience has taught me to avoid being alone with a man/men in a deserted enclosed space (like toilets).

And why should women have to experience even a moment's hesitation or fear? Just why?

Talking of loos, there’s an interesting discussion about mixed toilets on Shon Faye’s Twitter from a day ago. Starts off by saying that it’s not a mixed toilet if it has urinals in it because transwomen don’t like them. The replies are interesting especially from pre-op trans women who are a bit indignant as they feel happier standing up to use urinals rather than sitting down (because it increases their dysphoria and/or is quicker) And then there’s trans men saying they like a urinal too because they have had phalloplasty and it’s getting more common these days for trans men to have them. Fascinating discussion. Just shows how ridiculously complicated it’s all become!

I'd have women (bio only)

Anyone the fuck else

@getoutofthatgarden202

Because men place hidden cameras in women's toilets. Giving men unlimited access to women's toilets opens up the possibility for them to do this.

Because men rape and assault women in private spaces like toilets. Giving men unlimited access to women's toilers opens up the possibility for them to do this.

Because women don't want to take care of personal matters like changing tampons when men are the other side of a flimsy cubicle wall which probably doesn't reach the floor

Because women don't want to wash out moon cups in the shared sink area when men are hovering around.

Because teenage girls are getting used to their changing bodies and learning to handle personal period care and probably won't want to do this with men and boys hanging around. The same goes for boys too (apart from the period bit).

Because men DGAF about anyone but themselves and will piss all over toilet seats and floors and not clear it up.

Because I wouldn't be surprised if some (sigh) men didn't just piss on seats. I really wouldn't be surprised to find spunk on toilet seats in previously female-only toilets.

I was talking about this and my sister said she recently bowled into a loo and found a man peeing at the urinal. She reckons he go the bigger shock - so I think men may start complaining?

What about a petition?

Yeah well I've seem woman's only toilets with blood splattered all over the floor seat and walls as well as piss on the floor etc - they seem like lame reasons - public toilets in general are just gross tbh!! I'd rather not have to ever use them at all - but unfortunately - have to use them all the time when you go out!

I think it's unreasonable to expect small restaurants to fit 2 separate areas for toilets - when a few cubicles is all that fit...

getoutofthatgardenn there lots of previously threads detailing why women don't like unisex toilets.
Reasons include safety, need to leave cubicle door open when seeing when you have small children with you, ensuring all toilets used have sanitary disposal bins, awkwardness about cleaning moocups/bloody hands at communal sinks, need to have some space away from men, e.g. Women's in nightclubs, away from male colleagues particularly in male dominated workplaces, need to have female support even that of strangers when you're having a miscarriage

Personally whilst I might joke, I find discussion of unisex toilets enough to trigger my distress using toilets during my three miscarriages. It would all have been worse if I'd had to use unisex toilets rather than having just other women around me. Particularly as one was at work. I hope you've never had and never will have a miscarriage but they are often messy, painful and incredibly distressing, just recalling them is making me cry. Trying to decide what to do about the fetus that might now be in the toilet is distressing. To go through that with male colleagues awkwardly pissing in a urinal beside rather than female colleagues comforting me would be horrendous

Oh god the thought of a hidden camera capturing me miscarrying is enough to make me not envy

@getoutofthatgarden202 Are you sure you hadn't stumbled upon a murder scene?

It's strange isn't it how those people who regularly see women toilets with piss all over the floor and blood dribbling down the walls like a scene out of Carrie are also the same people who have no problem with mixed sex toilets?

I'd be willing to bet the average male public toilet is much more grim that the average female toilet. No-one's saying women don't make mess and aren't absolutely gross sometimes but this sort of grim behaviour is far more common from men than women.

Moreover, I actually find the whole premise of the debate flawed. What I mean by that is that I just don't see why women have to justify why we want/need female-only toilets. We just do. Take our word for it.

@getoutofthatgarden202 You're very unreasonable to use the example of small restaurants with limited space when most of the mixed-sex toilet debate is about large organisations with ample space and lots of money.

VictoriaSpongeAndTea

I'm so sorry for your experience. It's a source of continuing shock to me how some people don't understand why women want sex segregation in their toilets. As you say, miscarriages - they mostly do happen on the toilet.

Morning sickness, expressing milk, waters breaking, menstruation issues. And these are just to do with biology.

Every study shows that mixed sex facilities increases the predation on women.

Girl children at school are holding it in all day, rather than use mixed sex facilities. Some boys are relentless in their teasing and intimidation.

It's foolish to think this attitude does not often continue into adult hood. There will be a significant number of men who will love to throw their weight around in a woman's toilet. It's madness to expect that there isn't. They do it everywhere else.

And if you complain, you're the bigot.

Yes blood-drenched toilets quite the norm.

I wear a full radiation suit and carry a hose when I have to go into those carnage pits of hell that are the average female toilet.

@Datun Charities working on girls/women's rights/education in the global south are relentlessly/tirelessly campaigning for access to single sex facilities. They repeatedly tell us that not having access to single sex facilities impacts girl's ability to access education and have a life outside of the home and hugely increases incidents of sexual assault.

Meanwhile, in the UK..... TRAs/MRAs are consistently telling us they're "just toilets".

And why ar3 we even having to justify ffs. Why

This wasn’t normal even last year that men were welcome into our loos

It’s just nonsense and we don’t have to apologise or justify it

Moreover, I actually find the whole premise of the debate flawed. What I mean by that is that I just don't see why women have to justify why we want/need female-only toilets. We just do. Take our word for it.

Exactly.

And while they're at it, provide more of them, make them bigger, with a foot operated sanitary disposal unit, (which gets emptied as often as necessary for the love of God), with a couple of cubicles big enough to take a pram and a toddler.

I like it better like this because there are shorter wait times/queues - woman take bloody ages if you go to a woman's only toilet!

Dear lord. Of course, it's women's fault, that the provision is crap! So, I don't know, let's add some men in there as well!!!

Why does logic just fly off the cliff over toilet provision for women??

It's not hard.

Ohh is that because western men would never ever do a bad thing to a woman is that it butch. Must be

If this all you have to worry about in life, complaining about bloody toilets?