Female-only toilets will be guaranteed in new buildings

[ArabeIIaScott]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23465951/separate-toilets-men-women-law/

'New regulations mean women will be guaranteed appropriate facilities either through a single-sex space or private toilet.
The changes will be made through building regulations and will not affect residential buildings.'

Oh, it's longer!

'Women’s minister Kemi Badenoch said: “It is important that everybody has privacy and dignity when using public facilities.
"Yet the move towards ‘gender neutral’ toilets has removed this fundamental right for women and girls.
“These proposals will ensure every new building in England is required to provide separate male and female or unisex facilities, and publish guidance to explain the difference, protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of all.”
Communities Minister Baroness Jane Scott said it is “extremely important” women feel comfortable using public facilities.
A short consultation opens tomorrow.'

Hm, this was reported last year. I thought it must have been new news, but perhaps it's just a rehash ...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/all-public-buildings-to-have-separate-male-and-female-toilets

I'm glad about this

Are we sure that self identifying females aren't still being given a free pass?

"New buildings" doesn't cover very much, given that we have so many buildings already.

'The proposed measures will apply to new public buildings over a certain size. This size will be determined during the consultation process.'

I'm still not quite sure if this is new news? I saw it posted on Twitter ,and the Sun article is dated today, but I can't see any new info.

Doesn’t it entirely depend on the definition that is used for “female” and “women”?

Went to a conference centre recently and all the toilets were self contained rooms with full doors and sides and containing the toilet/ sink/ mirror and for anyone's use because there was no vulnerability in using them. All new toilets should be made this way in my opinion. Stick a couple of urinal cubicles in as well perhaps.

I don't think they should all be like that.

Floor to ceiling doors can trap girls having a seizure.
The urinals would have to be in a different room, so effectively more toilets for men than for women.
Unless there is no space, communal public toilets are better for women on the whole.

I used to work in a "creative" studio which had unisex loo and it was pretty 'open' space in the basement, and you feel so exposed! It filled me with anxiety every time I needed to use the facility. It was also dealing with the anxiety of what I'm going to find in there if a male just left and often you will crops pass as he just came out of the only available cubicle 🤮...
It was just awful! No surprise the owner of the studio is a male and massive ego maniac who thought his interior design ideas are so cool! but it was so wrong on so many levels. People pretend its cool but it was a shit show! Sometime literally!
I left at the end (as hated this place all together) during the pandemic. lockdown was such a bliss 😵‍💫

Many, many years ago I worked in an office with unisex loos. The one on our floor had 2 cubicles, open at top and bottom. I did the usual woman thing of checking the loo roll and, finding it empty, switched to the other cubicle. I saw awful dick of a director come in behind me & head into the other cubicle. He then proceeded to do a massive noisy shit. Reader: I did not pass loo roll under the partition. I washed my hands and left.

Some men seem incapable of directing their pee.
I'm so sick of treading on sticky stinking floors to get to the toilet.
The unisex loos in the Café Nero in my local town are disgusting.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/13/gender-neutral-lavatories-are-an-invasion-of-womens-privacy/

Here is something from Kemi this morning. (Archive sites or 12ft ladders to get over walls are so handy)

Mhm. A step in the right direction.

And now define 'female'. And provide additional spaces so that there is no excuse for male people to invade the spaces of non consenting females.

It is because Kemi is releasing new guidance. That defines ‘gender neutral’ toilets and floor to ceiling cubicles and mixed sex hand washing. And that those facilities are not acceptable under new guidance. Only female and male and unisex (having a hand basin in the cubicle).

And that trans people should respect the single sex spaces (not sure there is anything stronger than that in the document)

Sorry. She is releasing it today. Hence the flurry of media

I came across a suggestion on another forum - instead of men and women label toilets dicks and no dicks. It would be clearer than men and women and while it might allow in a few trans males who have had surgery most dont.

Dicks and dick-free.

I could go for that.

On a serious note, credit to Kemi for continuing to push back against the madness. I hope her colleagues (publicly?) support her.

Hmm. That doesn't sound very practical.
1.Would these completely enclosed units have forced ventilation in them? If not what happens in a pandemic/epidemic and what about smell? If they do have forced ventilation what about the cost of electricity?

1. What about people being taken ill with no one being aware and if they have realised there is something wrong with the occupant being unable to get to them?
2. What about people who are claustrophobic?

Thanks, that explains it!

“My job is increasingly spent legislating for common sense and stopping those intent on causing harm,” she says.

I think that whilst this is only a beginning she is quite set on common sense and reality. I suspect many organisations will breath a sigh of relief.

Sounds good in theory. But if they're used by men, I'm not interested.

Pee on the seat, on the floor, etc.

Women's for women, men's for men and a unisex option for trans people? That seems fairly unequivocal.

Let the outrage commence.

No matter how trendy the opposition or how vocal the outrage, we will intervene where common sense disappears.

<Rubs hands>

Iirc a number of new buildings have been built with only mixed sex loos. Of course people who design buildings ( is it architects? ) love to use less space on things like loos, it leaves more space for the main purpose.

I vaguely sort of remember new build schools? With this problem. And once something like that gets past planning and no one complains too loud, more are built.

Quick thought here, were planning departments also stonewalled?