Should mixed sex toilets be labelled as such? *TITLE EDITED BY MNHQ*

[BercowsFestiveFlamingo]

I went to a garden centre today. One door marked toilets and one that was the baby change and marked as such along with disabled/male/female sign. The toilets door led to a small area with two further doors. Mum went in one and the other was occupied. I waited and then a man walked out of the other one. Mum and I were both surprised but then there wasn't a sign on the door specifying either way so maybe we should have realised it was unisex. Regardless it made very uncomfortable and I won't be going again. Surely signs should be up? What's the law on this?
As someone who has seen sexually assaulted I want to know if men are going to be in the same toilets. I don't like surprises like that at all. There was barely room to move.

I'm not sure on the law but I'd be interested to know.

I was in a restaurant in Liverpool at the weekend that had separate male and female toilet doors that both led into the same unisex hand washing area with men's toilet cubicles on one side of the sinks and women's in the other.

So you got the impression you were walking into a woman's toilet and you only discover once you're in there that it's actually unisex.

I walked into the door marked toilets expecting two more doors that led to two further toilet areas with separate hand washing. What there was instead was a space about 7' by 2.5' with one tiny sink and a drier and two toilets with no signs on either door. I was waiting for mum but as soon as the bloke came out I left and went back in once he'd gone. No way did I want to be in that tiny space with him. I wasn't able to wait until I got home and using the disabled would have been inappropriate.

If it is quite literally one toilet, that only one person can go in at a time (or parent & child, or two people if they are willing to squish) in a small business venue, then common sense that it is a unisex toilet should apply.

If it's a larger venue with more than one stall, than it should be made clear it is unisex.

I'm not sure why you were surprised a man was in there. The outer door was marked as both female and male and there was no markings on the inner door why would you think they were female only?

walked into the door marked toilets expecting two more
Clearly marked then.

It sounds perfectly clearly marked to me.

Yes, mixed sex (the correct term) toilets should be labelled if I am expected to share my space with a man.

I need to know for my sake and that of my niece's if this is the case, so I can make a decision and use single facilities elsewhere.

Generally, I will avoid mixed sex toilets, but sometimes we aren't told and there have been a fair few unpleasant stories on a previous thread re women's experiences in mixed sex loos.

single sex

There was an arrow sign saying "toilets" pointing at the door. There was a separate door with baby change/disabled/male/female on the actual door to one side. This made me think that on going through the door pointed to by the arrow sign that this would be like an ante chamber with male and female toilets branching off from there and behind their own doors. There was no sign on the actual door just an arrow sign pointing at the door.

Sorry, yes, mixed sex.

Here's the thread I mentioned.So many grim experiences:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3749831-Share-your-experiences-of-gender-neutral-toilets

Do you were expecting an ante-chamber and instead got "a small area with two further doors" and behind those doors were unisex loos? I really don't see the difference to be honest.

Clearly you object to the concept of unisex toilets and that's your prerogative but I don't think there is anything unreasonable about how these were labelled. Outside of MN FWR most people don't think individual unisex loos are such an outrage they need neon flashing signs.

That wasn't the case when I spoke to many mothers with young children in my home city. Their husbands too.

They were very concerned.

@Cohle the very small area was the hand washing area. There wasn't room to move past the man washing his hands to get into the cubicle. This was my first experience of mixed sex toilets.

It does seem that the main advocates for mixed sex toilets / changing rooms / showers are men. I wonder why that might be ?

I can absolutely see why sharing handwashing facilities with members of the opposite sex is inappropriate (menstrual blood etc).

Personally I'd focus my complaint on that rather than on the labelling issue. I have no problem with self contained unisex facilities, but I do think it's necessary for those loos to include the sink within that cubicle.

@BercowsFestiveFlamingo, just popping on here to let you know that we've edited your thread title, as requested.

Hope that helps.

Thanks.

Thank you HQ

Where I live, there have long been single occupancy, floor to ceiling doors, hand basin inclusive loos, which are labelled 'unisex'. Most people know that unisex means, both sexes can use the loo, but not at the same time! Though I think unisex could be confusing to some, I think that this is broadly OK - it certainly alerts women that this is not a single sex loo.

What I object to, massively, is what they've done recently at my local library, which is put men's and women's facilities in the same room (men's down one side, women's down the others, no urinals), without any signage on the (heavy) door that this is the case.

I was incredibly uncomfortable the first time I walked in without a heads-up from signage - the loos are in a quiet corridor, away from the main part of the library, the door into the mixed sex loos' room is heavy, and blocks sound - I felt very vulnerable, especially as there were no other women entering the room. Honestly, I felt like there was an increased risk of assault from a male in this room, and the fact that each loo was self-enclosed actually made the risk worse - if I'd been dragging into one of them, I'd have had three heavy, floor to ceiling doors AND a corridor between me and anyone who could hear what was happening.

I won't use the library loos anymore. But for other women and children's sakes, I've written to the library asking that the sign on the door be changed from 'Toilets' to 'Mixed-Sex Toilets', so women can avoid the facilities if they prefer. Haven't yet heard back. I doubt they will change the signs.

OP, there is a second set of loos at the same library which are like you describe - two unisex loos off a single corridor, which is itself behind a door.

Yes, I think there should be a 'unisex' descriptor on the door leading to the single corridor.

It's just about providing choice. Women and girls who prefer single sex facilities can then choose to go find some.

@TuttiCutie

Can I ask what restaurant this was in please?

@beckyvardy it's was Rudy's Pizza on Castle Street.

Terrible toilets. You honestly are led to believe you're walking into woman's toilets. And only once you're in there you realise they are mixed sex.

Thank you I haven't been there and no I know I won't ever go!

At my work we don't specify gender on toilet doors. Our sign simply say 'toilet'.

The only statement we make is to say what is behind the door. - a toilet.

If it is a single loo, behind a floor to ceiling lockable door, in a safe area of the building (ie not behind a whopping great door ) with a handbasin and sanitary disposal bin inside, then fair enough with the sign that just says 'Toilet'.

YABVU (or your work is) if the sign says 'Toilet' and means anything other than the above.