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.

I fucking love the women of Mumsnet. No wonder the MRAs/TRAs are so determined to shut FWR down. Together with all the other determined and brave women, that say “enough!” we’re bloody unstoppable.

It seems I was celebrating too soon. The gender neutral toilets are still there, but now we have the option of single sex toilets in another part of the park.

Ok well that's what we're looking for - single sex AND third spaces, so it's a step in the right direction.

Now the thing to consider... are female people who cannot share space with male people due to protected characteristics, being treated less advantageously than those who can? Are there more toilets for people who can go anywhere than those less privileged? Are the people less privileged expected to travel further? Is there a sign on the single sex toilets stating that unisex provision is available in the park?

And this makes a bit of a nonsense of 'it's only temporary while we make up silly reasons why the mens is closed and females have lost single sex provision', that's clearly planned to be permanent, so there's lying and lack of forethought involved too.

If they want to add more provision, add more provision. Build another block. Invest. Don't just cheaply repurpose female provision for the benefit of males having more spaces, and leave females sucking up the disadvantage.

Hello op

Are the gents from your op next to that block?

Are they reopened, are they gender neutral or gents?

Seems like an odd move.

It's not actually legal to in public provision to just relabel old style toilets like this is it? They have to be floor to ceiling with own washbasin etc if open to both sexes?

And another thought.

If a woman, boy or girl goes in there and something happens.

A woman would be told why were you in there, when there is a ladies in the park.

For a child, it would be what were the parents (mother) thinking letting them go in?

I suspect that toilet will default mainly to male, even though women need more provision, not less.

Is there anything more we can do,l had no reply to my email being sent to both addresses.

I never got a reply either

shinyfootball my understanding from the email was that they were re opening the gents but I couldn’t tell as it was evening when I walked past so they were both locked. The other toilets, by the play park and separate men’s and women’s and now each labelled one person at a time. So 4 toilets areas in total- 2 for use by women and 3 for use by men. The others are a bit of a trek across a busy road which would be a pain if you were desperate/ had young children you had to lug/got there to find a queue.

I’m still so annoyed about this.

The ones they reference as being single sex are a bit of a trek over a busy road, is that right?

Or is this a third set?

I'm genuinely flabbergasted if they have

Made female unisex, next door is the gents still for men

Directed those who don't want mixed sex (likely to be more women) to head off on a trek over a busy road?

Is that right?

I mean for fucks sake.

Yes that’s right shiny

My first site of this thread - am a Northampton local. The other toilets are MILES away and the horrid “vandal proof” ones like a kitchen sink.

Will get on the case with this shortly too !

Site? Sight

👋 Hi calmconfident, nice one.

Bloody hell.

So the toilets in the park are a men only one and an anyone one.

If a woman wants to not go unisex she has to go for a trek and over a busy road. Possibly with babies / toddlers in tow. And a pushchair, pram, changing stuff etc.

And yes of course dads take kids to the park but in general in real life it's often the women who are doing this more.

And if a woman is with older children eg ye 5 esp girls she can't let them go to the loo on their own as is unisex and she is unlikely to send them for a trek and cross s busy road on their own so again she has to up sticks.

Are they taking the piss?

If they are determined to have a gender neutral option

Leave the ladies in the park alone and make the gents unisex. I mean why the fuck not?

This is happening all over the place.

Do councils have to do an equalities impact assessment for this type of thing. Anyone know?

This is getting ridiculous.

l feel like having a whole lot of woman signs made to put over the unisex toilets and unisex signs to put over the mens toilsts.

The situation you describe OP is a clear case of unlawful sex discrimination. When women are being treated less favourably than men in the provision of services needed by either sex this is unlawful as per the Equality Act 2010. (If the toilets are male plus mixed-sex with easy access while the female ones require a trek and crossing a busy road, this obviously means that women are demonstrably treated less favourably than men and this is unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex).

Have they done an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA)? Whenever public facilities like this, or services, are proposed to be changed in a way that impacts on groups with a protected characteristic, a proper and thorough assessment must first be done that looks at whether the proposed changes may negatively impact on any such group and that shows how they will remedy this impact.

Which obviously no one ever does in this respect, because they couldn't make these changes otherwise. It's worth complaining to the council again (if you can) making this clear and asking to see a copy of the EQIA. If they don't react, this is precisely what the EHRC is supposed to help you with. They have employees who can help you assert your rights.

(As the EHRC has been captured, this leads to the weird situation where you may get a staff member helping you assert your rights under the EqA in a specific case while their bosses are misrepresenting the EqA on a general level.)

Don’t mind gender neutral really but why are the women’s always women AND gender neutral and the men’s stay the same?!

I like the ones that just have one gender neutral toilet and then the men have to wait in the queue with the women... the faces are priceless!

1. Sexism obv
2. They benefit no one. Both the men and the women have a longer queue. And most men and most women don't want it.

Hello all, just thought I’d give you a final update on this... the ‘gender neutral’ sign has now been taken down, and I saw an article in the local paper recently about the council (jokingly, I think) about the sign being included as an art piece in the local museum representing covid- life. A council member described the gender neutral toilets as ‘an experiment that maybe didn’t work out’. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at this, but in the end the women’s toilets are back, so that’s positive!

www.northamptonchron.co.uk/arts-and-culture/art/northampton-museum-will-open-end-year-plans-covid-19-exhibition-one-earliest-displays-2898083?fbclid=IwAR2vNXhHBfRMevQF2ZX0SD2aw8HI47vG0jAMWz8QTYX9dmwH--CcoDGBKXk

A council member described the gender neutral toilets as ‘an experiment that maybe didn’t work out’

Translates into, we’re really shocked that the women didn’t role over and accept the attempted removal of their dignity, privacy and safety, in order to please the woke.

Yes exactly. Having that preserved in a museum actually might be a good thing!

Brilliant !

💪💪💪

That's great news!

You are all amazing! This is thanks to you and I agree the sign did not look temporary, but it sure became one!!