Unisex toilets, I just don’t want to see men piss

[LittleSnakes]

Unisex toilets with the all genders sign on it. Door is closed. Walk in assuming it’s all cubicles and it’s urinals and then a cubicle once you walk past the urinals. I just don’t want to walk past men pissing. Doubt they want me there either. I go to find another toilet. Slowly open the door and it’s just cubicles. Phew. Except the sinks do look a bit like urinals so I wasn’t sure for a second. I have never ever had to worry about which toilet I’m in and if there’s gonna be men pissing while I walk past them. So I go out and read the signs again on the toilets. The one I’ve just been in says Stalls. The other says Urinals and Stalls. Didn’t notice that to start with because I’m not used to having to read a description of what’s in a toilet before I go in it. I’m fact, it’s the first time I’ve ever had to do that.

so basically they had mens and womens toilets and just changed the signage because they couldn't be arsed and dont really want to provide toilets anyway, no business does.

so you walked into the former mens.

I would like to know whether they think the former men's is safe for unaccompanied children.

At least one business has decided their mixed-sex area isn't.

Text of photo for users with screenreaders

UNISEX TOILET

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS IS A UNISEX TOILET. SAME SEX MALE AND FEMALE TOILETS ARE AVAILABLE UPSTAIRS IN THE CIRCLE AND DOWNSTAIRS IN THE LOWER FOYER.

CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THIS TOILET UNLESS ACCOMPANIED

Apparently, the flowerbed urinals were causing outrage in Paris, although they seem to have been trialled in Nantes. They were branded an eyesore and sexist because only men could use them. This was in 2018. From the photos, there's no screening at all. Just the bloke's bod keeping things PG.

(Reminder that a cubicle has to contain a sanitary waste bin or else its a mens cubicle.)

I had this in a cafe this week. Gents and ladies now both gender neutral. And urinals. Lots of kids in the cafe, it's a family place. I complained and suggested they make the gents into men/ gender neutral and keep the ladies single sex for privacy and safety. I said this is best practice. I pointed out the issue about little girls going passed urinals. It's not on.

women won't wheesht#

We need to fight back.

I haven't encountered this yet (I'm sure I will soon.) When I do, I will go in armed with the law and complain in person, complain in writing, tweet them and cause a fuss. If every single one of us did we would at least get our discomfort/fear/disgust etc communicated. I really think we can reverse this through complaining loudly en masse.

And even though I'm doing an eye-roll as I type this - get our nice blokes to complain as well. At least that way we can't be dismissed as TERFS.

I think some dipshit in the pub doesn’t know what the gender signs mean.

I have never heard of mixed gender loos being anything but separate stalls, and I think it’s highly unlikely.

Send an email in the morning, pointing out the fuck up, and cc’ing in the management company if there is one. The mind boggles..

@sessell

I had this in a cafe this week. Gents and ladies now both gender neutral. And urinals. Lots of kids in the cafe, it's a family place. I complained and suggested they make the gents into men/ gender neutral and keep the ladies single sex for privacy and safety. I said this is best practice. I pointed out the issue about little girls going passed urinals. It's not on.

REALLY???

I stand corrected. That is total madness

The thing is, even self contained cubicles aren't issue free.

We have 3 in a row at work - men's, gender neutral with a sanitary bin and women's. Each one has a floor to ceiling door and a sink inside.

So what's the issue?

Last week, a man using the gender neutral one didn't bother to lock / fully close the door when pissing. This is not even the first time I have seen a man use an individual toilet cubicle without shutting the door.

I guess the habit of using an open urinal dies hard, but I was seriously unimpressed.

@PurgatoryOfPotholes

I would like to know whether they think the former men's is safe for unaccompanied children.

At least one business has decided their mixed-sex area isn't.

It’s just boggling that they clearly see the issues, as evidenced by this sign, that mixed sex facilities are not suitable for everyone, but that won’t stop the manufactured outrage from certain quarters when women point it out!

The answer is obvious- single sex male and female, plus mixed sex.

I'm not fully on the GC wagon but I don't like unisex toilets. I don't want to wipe mens piss off toilet seats every time for one thing.

Also existing toilets are designed horribly for women with small children, trying to fit in a cubicle with them or going out with a pram and having to decide between leaving the baby outside the cubicle unattended or weeing with the door open and pram wodged in.

I don't get why they can't keep what they have now and add a few unisex accessible ones so everyone's catered for.

I don't get why they can't keep what they have now and add a few unisex accessible ones so everyone's catered for.

Exactly.

Also existing toilets are designed horribly for women with small children, trying to fit in a cubicle with them or going out with a pram and having to decide between leaving the baby outside the cubicle unattended or weeing with the door open and pram wodged in.

Quite.

What would have happened in the 'urinals plus stalls' facility in the op?

Little kids standing around commenting like little kids do? A man attempting to pee with a pram right behind him. Women talking about women's issues while waiting in line.

Its just assumed that the space will be for men and dominated by them, despite it not being designated as such.

We had them in my last place of work. I absolutely hated them. They were always disgusting compared to the single- sex toilets in other parts of the building. Piss on the seat, on the floor etc. I was horrified by how many people (presumably men) just never bothered flushing.

God that’s so true about the park! My kids are a bit older so we can all just squidge in to the cubicle. But I have had many a wee with the door open when they were babies and it was somewhere busy and I didn’t want to leave them where I couldn’t see them.

I mean so true about the pram!! Not park.

I had this last year at an English heritage venue. Two toilets. Had been previously single sex, now both gender neutral but they'd just printed a sheet of paper and put this over the original sign. Urinals in the one I plumped for. And a man coming in as I left and it felt uncomfortable.

It is uncomfortable, horribly so. But they won't change it until the men are also discomforted.

www.washwareessentials.co.uk/content/unisex-bathroom

The last time this came up I googled the regulations and this came up top of the list from a company who fits them. Just be warned (don’t want to spoil your day) the phrase ‘you are on the wrong side of history’ comes up!

Thankfully my local pub has 3 sets, man, women and unisex (disabled). We have a trans regular too, he uses the mens (definitely a man but likes to wear dresses!) by the way he's completely accepted and nobody cares he likes womens clothes!

That website has pissed me off. I think the only thing that’s gonna change this is men finding it annoying to queue. So hopefully unisex will make it slower for men. But only if enough women mob the men’s toilets too. Which probably isn’t gonna happen. I doubt complaining here will help. It’s a venue in the gay area so I’m sure they’re more than aware of any rules they are or aren’t following.

There's a pub near me that's done this. We didn't stay long - none of our group of women felt comfortable using the loo so we had our one drink then left