Express and Star article - head of British Toilet Association pushing for mixed loos

[Fenlandmountainrescue]

Apparently, in order to get us all back shopping again, it is essential that we should all share toilets. Because that is cleaner?

Is there actually a British Toilet Association or is this just one grubby little perv rubbing both his hands and his thighs together?

No really. They give out an award every year for the best public toilet in the country.

That's sort of a "least unpleasant fart you've ever smelled" sort of an award. Does anyone actually like public toilets? Well, other than the pervs.

Really. Councils actually try to maintain clean and pleasant facilities to get an award. Look up loo of the year awards.

Was ManFriday 2 years ago??

Yes, the Hampstead ponds swim was exactly 2 years ago this week (bank holiday Monday)

In all the FWR threads I’ve read over the years and all the links to twitter threads I’ve followed, I never ever thought I’d find myself looking for the British Toilet Association twitter thread.

I just came on to see if anyone had brought this up.

Feels like using covid as an excuse. Urinals are surely more hygienic for men.

He said that all future toilets should be mixed sex to "help stop infection". Makes zero sence but solves the argument over gendered toilets.

I can't shake the feeling that they are trying to remove women's rights, first they wanted to use trans people to do it, now covid. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

He said that all future toilets should be mixed sex to "help stop infection".

I’d love to see the science behind that. We’ll let the toilets be mixed sex, which means even more people will be mixing in them and of course, we all know that putting MORE people in the same room, helps decrease infection risk. 🤔

Women keeping good hygiene mixing with men that keep bad hygiene and now need to touch more stuff after open urinals removed = less chance of virus spread.

Makes 0 sence. Definitely an alternative agenda. I wonder how many things will be pushed through under the guise of covid. I've just seen what BA are doing behind the smoke screen of covid. We'll likely be moved into a cashless society. Could we see women being pushed into working from home roles post maternity leave - stifling work relationships and career progression. You know to "keep office numbers down and limit infection". What about limited child care facilities keeping more women in the home.

I've just seen what BA are doing behind the smoke screen of covid.

Do you mean British Airways or another BA?

It's underpants gnomes logic again. There's a missing step in which he explains exactly how mixed sex toilets prevent a virus from spreading.

Perhaps they are hoping to reduce infection rates by making half the population feel so unsafe that they will no longer use a public toilet.

It makes me so angry. You know what I would like if I were an opportunistic attacker? A nice dead end space I can trap someone in. Quiet, tucked away, secluded. Perfect. Cubicles ideal for hiding in or dragging someone into. And the perfect right to be in there.

Urinals are surely more hygienic for men.

Yes, intuitively, that feels correct. The coronavirus can be shed in faeces. Men would have to lift the seat, touching where faecal aerosol had landed when the loo was flushed. They'd then leave the seat up so women would have to lower the seat, touching faecal aerosol. This means more contact with coronavirus, not less.

This isn't about coronavirus at all, its about pandering to gender essentialism, and, disgustingly, they are willing to endanger lives by making toilets less safe for everyone from a CV perspective as well as less safe for women and girls.

Weirdly enough I heard this guy interviewed on the radio the other day, here in Canada. That interview was more about the general difficulties of even finding a public toilet to use at the moment, when so many are shut down.

He had some interesting things to say about urinals, which I agreed with. For one they're a nightmare for anyone who suffers from shy bladder. I know DH really struggles to use them sometimes, and I am trying to imagine sitting on a toilet and doing a wee in an open space with strangers... It's kind of a weird concept tbh.

They did briefly discuss reconfiguring facilities to be unisex but the trans argument was barely touched on. His argument was more that fully enclosed, unisex facilities better meet the needs of significant sections of the population. Which I agree with tbh.

His argument was more that fully enclosed, unisex facilities better meet the needs of significant sections of the population. Which I agree with tbh.

I'm interested in how. If men don't want urinals, that's fine. As a woman, what toilet facilities men prefer is up to them (although I think you'll find many men do like them) But most people want single sex toilets, and a lot more women would have a "shy" bladder/bowels if they had to have men in their loos.

There are good arguments why enclosed unisex toilets don't work for many women. I don't think he's bothering to think about those, but am open to changing my mind.

I have a bit of a shy bladder too. As in, I don't feel safe using public toilets if men are in there. My argument is that single sex facilities better meet the needs of a significant section of the population - the female 50%.

PS Men's toilets' have some cubicles in them. So that's the shy bladder men sorted already.

PS Men's toilets' have some cubicles in them. So that's the shy bladder men sorted already.

Exactly. But if men don't want urinals because the majority are uncomfortable with them, I fully support their campaign to get rid of them. But it's no reason to push mixed sex toilets on women, and we can see through this transparent attempt to do so.

So women should have to share with men because some men have a shy bladder - again that makes 0 sense. Just give them cubicals or screens.

I asked dh how he would feel about sharing. He wasn't that keen when I pointed out the blood often left in the ladies, but said he wouldn't really care. When I asked how he would feel about doing a poo if two young girls were by the mirror doing make up - he said, "they're not going be in there doing make up if men are shitting in there". Bit crass but true. It's us that will be driven out not the men.

I really can't see men wanting to stand in a massive queue like women always do.

Whenever I have been somewhere where that happens, like festivals, you get loads of men pissing in the hedges instead.

The idea may fail on that alone.

He's right. And yes that is a need that many women and girls have. Fix makeup, adjust clothing. We don't use toilets in the same way as men.

I'm female. I benefit from mixed toilets
. I have a SN tween boy.

You could use the disabled toilets surely? Larger and easier to access.

I'm female. I benefit from mixed toilets. I have a SN tween boy.

That’s what the disabled toilets are for. I have a special needs daughter and I don’t want her sharing with males.

Kind of besides the point since most people want single sex toilets anyway so that's what we should have, but on the length of lines thing, don't a lot of men take forever to take a shit? I realize for some that's because they read in there or whatever, but there also seems to be something physiological where older men in particular just take a really long time to clear their bowels, and I personally like not having to wait on them doing so when I'm trying to catch a train or something.

The last time I was in a mixed sexual loo (I was bursting) was in Libertys. Off a dark back staircase - all women - men would come in, stop, look at the women then apologise and back out (checking the door sign). Only one man decided to march past the queue of women and stomp into the one disabled cubicle and slam the door.