Women’s toilets now gender neutral in Northampton Park

[bloodyhamabeads]

I noticed this today while walking in Abington Park in Northampton. Only the women’s has changed, the men’s is still labelled ‘gentlemen’.

Is this actually legal? I’ve heard the equality act mentioned and had a quick google but I wondered whether anyone can point me in the right direction of some legislation I can quote when I write to the council.

Why is it always the womens? Why do the cubicles not go to the floor and the ceiling? Gah.

There was a thread earlier about a shopping centre OP. You might find the info you need on that.

Thank you. I’ll have another look at that the thread about the shopping centre. I noticed that they have reversed the decision on that.

Providing resources to males which are not being provided for females. Basic inequality there, based on sex.

Not to mention: what's the BAME population of Northampton like? What's the demographic heavy users of the park, is it mums and kids/families so heavy on adult human females needing safe facilities? What's the provision available for females unable to use mixed sex spaces due to race/culture/faith/disability/trauma? What's the DV rate like in Npton? Who are the primary users this facility was intended for and where's the impact assessment on them?

This is lazy thinking and basic sexism; this isn't the solution they're looking for.

Those aren't gender neutral, they're mixed sex - GN toilets are self contained floor to ceiling walls and doors, handwash basin and sanitary bin included - like on a train or plane.

It is always the women's toilets that get relabelled.

They are discriminating against women if they don't also provide a single sex toilet for female only use.

Very lazy on behalf of the council I agree. I was actually really surprised when I saw it because it’s the first time I’ve come across ‘gender neutral’ 🙄(mixed sex) toilets in real life.

Northampton is very diverse- so I imagine there will be many female park users that can’t use a toilet at all.

I’ve heard the words ‘impact assessment’ on here- is that something every council needs to do as standard?

Looks illegal to me. Need floor to ceiling walls and own basin per cubicle to be mixed sex.

The park is mainly full of families with with mainly female carers (lots of men too, but to hazard a guess there’s more mother’s generally) although at the moment with lockdown there are lots of young males drinking there in groups.

Yes. As "Thinend" says. Illegal.

You can ask the Council if they have done an Equalities Impact Assessment. I am not an expert on this but Audrey Ludwig on twitter is.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3941318-Stoke-shopping-centres-makes-all-loos-unisex?msgid=97548450#97548450

This is the thread pp have mentioned.

Northampton Mumsnetters.

Write to/email your local MP.

Get the names of the people in the local council/local councillors who have set this all up.

[email protected]

Park Management Committee contact address

Get your MP to ask for a fully comprehensive background check on the Councillors who have set this up. They may have 'form'.

I don't think these meet the required standard. Unisex toilets should be in an enclosed cubicle, floor to ceiling dividers and with sinks in the cubicle.
These will be a perverts dream, with phones put underneath the gaps. The unisex changing area at my local swimming pool has gaps and has recurring problems with this kind of behaviour.
I think it's possibly also a breach of the Equality Act as women are being treated less favourably.
Get the facts from the other thread and then complain to your local ward councillors as well as the council directly.
Those toilets will not be safe.

Ask if they have done an impact assessment...

i live in Northampton, thanks for bringing this to my attention, i will email the email address given above and encourage friends to do the same! we will not be silenced in fear of transphobia

Yes there should be an impact assessment. If as you say it's a diverse town and the park is heavy family use, and they've left men with a single sex provision while making female only provision mixed sex, they are going to struggle for a leg to stand on.

Inquire: where is the single sex provision please for the inclusion of females who cannot enter mixed sex provision due to faith, culture, disability (women with autism, dementia,) trauma, dv? Is it within a reasonable distance or are those women further disadvantaged by these characteristics compared to women who don't have them? Why did the impact assessment not pick up on this?

And watch them start to sweat.

Inclusion is about adding. More toilets, more choice. Not excluding all vulnerable groups of females to better improve life for one vulnerable group of males. Because added up.... it's almost like the LA believe males are somehow more important than females?

Have a look at this thread, OP. Another case where the proprietor had to revert to single sex facilities following complaints:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3784510-York-theatre-royal-toilets?pg=2

www.northamptonchron.co.uk

Northampton Mumsnetters.

Local newspaper.

Contact the journalists and get them to do a thorough background check on the councillors who signed off on implementing this.

Get them to ask the average person down your local High Streets if they are happy for men, wome and children to all share toilet facilities.

Wow, thank you so much everyone- this is so helpful. I have email the Chief Executives at the Borough Council, and copied in our local MP and Liz Truss and sent a copy to the local paper.

I’ll let you know if I hear back.

I cannot imagine a more dangerous place to have mixed sex toilets than in a park. Mostly out of the way, with no oversight and worst of all a low likelihood of a woman being heard if they were calling out for help. What the hell were they thinking?

Are the blokes toilets open?, they look closed?
What did the c19 note say?

I'm just wondering if they have used c19 as a reason to only look after one set of loos.

I would still complain, it doesn't sound safe or sensible in a park particularly.

@Michelleoftheresistance

Yes there should be an impact assessment. If as you say it's a diverse town and the park is heavy family use, and they've left men with a single sex provision while making female only provision mixed sex, they are going to struggle for a leg to stand on.

Inquire: where is the single sex provision please for the inclusion of females who cannot enter mixed sex provision due to faith, culture, disability (women with autism, dementia,) trauma, dv? Is it within a reasonable distance or are those women further disadvantaged by these characteristics compared to women who don't have them? Why did the impact assessment not pick up on this?

And watch them start to sweat.

Inclusion is about adding. More toilets, more choice. Not excluding all vulnerable groups of females to better improve life for one vulnerable group of males. Because added up.... it's almost like the LA believe males are somehow more important than females?

Yes, this is probably the right tack to take in any correspondence, but it makes me quite angry that it probably wouldn't be enough simply today that women are entitled to single sex spaces away from men. Why do I have to be disabled, be traumatised by men or be religious - in addition to being female - for it to be reasonable to want single sex spaces?