Liverpool Women's hospital no longer has female toilets

[Themyscira]

I just read this on twitter - the Women's hospital in Liverpool has removed all female toilets and changed them to gender neutral toilets. All the men's toilets have remained the same.

This has been confirmed by hospital staff.

twitter.com/LiverpoolReSis1/status/1208734283885666306?s=19

@fannycan as far as I can remember, the toilets on the ward I was on are 'patient toilets'. There is a loo area by the reception/entrance area. The women's toilet has half a female toilet person and half a male toilet person on the door and says something like these toilets are for all genders. I didn't use any the other toilets so not sure what it's like throughout the rest of the hospital. I e been going there almost weekly for a couple of months and using these toilets each time. They've only just been changed.

Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust runs Liverpool Women's Hospital, a major obstetrics, gynaecology and neonatology research hospital in Liverpool.

Thanks (I could have googled that myself I guess 🤦‍♀️)

So why the need for 'gender neutral' toilets then?!

Thanks @El2El

So basically gender neutral for all patients.

Presumably pandering to the occasional trans man who needs to access services there. The only surprise is they haven't renamed the hospital itself.

as far as I can remember, the toilets on the ward I was on are 'patient toilets'.

So presumably these weren't gender neutral then, but female only?

There is a loo area by the reception/entrance area. The women's toilet has half a female toilet person and half a male toilet person on the door and says something like these toilets are for all genders.

So these are for visitors then? OK, so that is slightly less batshit, but still pretty awful if the male toilets are still left male. And also pretty ridiculous in the context of the fact that of all places, a fucking WOMEN'S hospital should know what a woman is and should be centering them first and foremost.

Oh I cross posted with Fanny, I'm confused now!

I took it to mean the toilets were labelled "Patient" toilets, which I suppose is fair enough in a hospital where all the patients are expected to be female. It might not necessarily have been intended to be a gender neutral choice of word though it nearly sidesteps any issues.

*neatly

I would be interested to know about staff loo provision.

Someone needs to go and do a recce.

How can this be legal?

If men have a mens toilet but women do not have a womens toilet its not legal, its a breach of the Equality Act.
Its illegal for them to treat women less favourably on the grounds of their sex.
This also discriminates against BAME women who are not permitted to use a mixed sex toilet, on the grounds of their religion.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/13

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/14

Daughter has an appointment there tomorrow in the Ante Natal Clinic.I have asked her to do a recce.

Fraggling I'm sorry. I was genuinely trying to be reassuring but my post really wasn't clear

I had a quick look at their website and it seems to be only for obs/gynae issues, so TWs just won't be patients there. So, however in-patients identify or whatever signs they put on the doors, in-patients will have XX chromosomes and ward facilities will be single-sex.

Which does beg the question why they have so deliberately described the wards as single sex and the facilities as single gender in their blurb.

I have been in a small amount of gender neutral toilets and they have all had piss puddles on the floor. Why is it womens lavatories that have had to become gender neutral!??

Ffs

It may be indirect sex discrimination. That is, if their toilet policy means that some women could and do experience particular disadvantage compered to men (say because they have to wait longer, walk further or experience embarrassment etc) then onus on NHS Trust to show it was a proportionate response to legitimate aim. It might be direct discrimination as well.

Anyone affected by this change and wanting a hole filled to legally-challenge it, shout up.

Bloody ridiculous that women who are hours post-partum and accordingly vulnerable have to share loos with males.

Oh good god when will it end..
I think this toilet business all started with that stupid show Ally Mc Beale (forgive spelling)
That was all Gender neutral toilets and that was years and years ago.
I feel so sorry for the women in Liverpool Women’s Hospital

Excellent @pizzicato I hope her appointment goes well.
Staff maybe alert for trouble in relation to this or have been warned to be circumspect.

If twitter is anything to go by I think the person who deals with the PALS email is in for a shock tomorrow morning.

Lots of likes and retweets for Liverpool Resisters:

You can email them at [email protected] or call on 0151 702 4353

So why the need for 'gender neutral' toilets then

Political correctness, and lobbying......

I think its stupid as wouldn't a transman just want to use a mans toilet? However, as long as no actual men with penis's would be using the facilities there is no risk to women just silly virtue signalling, like calling Christmas the Winter Festival to appease people who didn't ask for it and didnt want it in the first place.

Oh no no no no NO! This must not happen. Bespelled by the self-congratulatory idiocy of their dangerous wokery they forget who the hospital belongs to.

FannyCann...from previous experience PALs at LWH are very good and proactive.

I just read this on Reddit and came here to find a link (I knew I would!)

I had all three of my children at the Women’s. From memory, the toilets are all single occupancy and open directly onto the corridors.

Not that is makes any difference of course, how grotesque that a hospital dedicated to women’s healthcare has prioritised the well-being and comfort of the visiting males.

I remember sitting waiting for my first scan, bladder full of wee (as requested). I also remember having to lie down on the floor when I went to the toilet as I almost passed out. I couldn’t get up to open the door and just had to lay there until I felt well enough to get up.

This has actually brought me to tears. I am probably unlikely to go back, no more babies at least, but I am devastated they’ve bowed to ridiculous pressure.

I assume none of these places are required to read the history around public toilets for women?

So thinking about the description from El2El

I think using the word "patients" is quite appropriate on wards in a women's hospital where presumably all the patients are women. These are toilets reserved for patients, (who one would expect to be women) and not for the use of visitors and clearly labelled as such.

Apparently visitor toilets at the entrance have recently been designated gender neutral or whatever the sign that is half woman half man is meant to mean.

That leaves toilets in the outpatient areas and staff provision.

It sounds as if someone woke decided to change the labels on the women's toilets for visitors and possibly for outpatients.

It would be interesting to know if staff changing and toilet provision has been similarly relabelled and what they think about it given that the majority of the staff are female.

I think everyone should contact them. If we all do it we cannot be ignored. We need swift, decisive resistance to this insanity.

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