Another toilets one

[nowwhat50]

I've NC for obvious reasons. I think it's time to come out as GC at work.

Our Diversity and Inclusion policy makes no mention of Sex whatsoever. I've mentioned this to HR already, that they appear to have forgotten about sex as a protected characteristic, but not put it in writing. I got no response to my verbal comments, just a "oh really?"

We now have a new member of staff who is very obviously MtF trans. This isn't really a Trans issue as such, but my concern is the Equality Act. I have 3 different protected characteristics.

My workplace has a very recent history of not paying women the same as men for the same role. All new hires in to the same brand new team, the only female was paid £5k less than the lowest paid male.

They also have a very mixed history of supporting disabilities, removing adjustments without notice and making disabled employees fight for months to have those adjustments returned.

Homophobic and racist complaints where clear evidence of homophobia and racism have resulted in soft warnings rather than Gross Misconduct. I know this because I conducted the investigations and gathered the evidence on these complaints.

So my biggest concern in not where this new member of staff goes to pee, but holding my employer to account. The Equality Act is not optional, they can't pick and choose which bits to follow and I want to make that clear. I really didn't want to choose toilets as the hill I die on at work, but think this is what I'm going to have to do.

Can I have some advice please on how best to approach this? To assert my rights to single sex spaces and make this about the importance of adhering to The Equality Act, rather than making it about not wanting to share the toilets with a Trans person. TIA

@Gottalife That is just someone's opinion. No legal bearing whatsoever.

Fair enough. It's someone's analysis, after guidance was changed. Why was it changed if it wasn't wrong?

That is just someone's opinion. No legal bearing whatsoever.

Yes, like yours.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

That is just someone's opinion. No legal bearing whatsoever.

Yes, like yours.

This is not about OPs "opinion". Is about her feeling safe using the bathroom

I never understand why people argue single sex toilets are a bad thing when it is clear they are needed by a large group of human beings who have different toilet needs than another group. Peeing is still a biology thing, not a gender thing.

I don’t think many people argue single sex toilets are a bad thing. It’s more that employers and other people with power are still more often male than female and don’t understand/refuse to consider how important single-sex spaces are for women.

And as the more common scenario in workplaces is for mature males who have transitioned to want to use women’s spaces, those mostly male people in power see women who object as making an unreasonable fuss over something they see as minor.

If asked, they wouldn’t argue single sex was bad. They’d just disregard the fact that they were inflicting a mixed sex space on their female employees because it probably wouldn’t even cross their mind that that is what they were doing.

“And as the more common scenario in workplaces is for mature males who have transitioned to want to use women’s spaces….. They’d just disregard the fact that they were inflicting a mixed sex space on their female employees because it probably wouldn’t even cross their mind that that is what they were doing”

How can they not realise that women might not feel comfortable sharing with Big John, who’s worked there for twenty years and always used the men’s, but now is Big Jane and wants to use the ladies’?

Employers don't want to have to lay out the money to pay for a third space, so they are more interested in placating Big Jane who was Big John. It won't cost them much to convert the ladies, than to find somewhere else.