State Government High School (Queensland) - a set of female toilets converted to mixed sex

[StealthSpinach]

Brisbane State High School (grades 7-12) has converted a set of female toilets into mixed sex toilets over the recent school holidays.

They simply rebranded the female toilets as “unisex”, moved sanitary bins into each alternate cubicle with a sticker on the door to indicate which ones had the facility.

Sounds like no other real changes were made, no indication if the cubicles are floor to ceiling, or just the typical set up here in Queensland of a row of cubicles with gap under and over doors/walls and sinks in a row (typically by the entry/exit door).

Parents were not informed of the intention or decision to proceed with this change. The school has said the directive has come from Education Queensland (State Government Education Department).

The girls (who also do not have female change rooms apparently, so have to use toilet facilities to change in), are distressed, the toilets are in a terrible state with boys urinating on seats/lids/in sanitary bins, and many girls are refusing to use the toilets as the boys are being intimidating.

There are supposedly other female toilets at the school, but it is unknown how far away they are, or even if the students are allowed to traverse the school to use female only toilets.

It has been unisex for 3 days…

It is actually law here that a certain proportion of school toilets must be unisex, those that object can be referred to the Anti-Discrimination Commission, and are castigated as transphobic bigots.

Oh, and the State Education Minister has a trans-identifying (adult) child.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/queensland-education/department-of-education-confirms-unisex-toilets-installed-at-brisbane-state-high-school/news-story/caf0d98a5888230f12ee699ee98294f3

Information as article is pay (Stone) walled:

Department of Education confirms unisex toilets installed at Brisbane State High School | The Courier Mail

A prestigious Queensland high school has converted a female-only toilet block to unisex with accusations of male students intimidating female classmates, urinating on toilet seats and sanitary bins after the change was introduced just three days ago.

The Department of Education has confirmed that Brisbane State High School has changed some toilets to unisex at the school.

It is necessary under Department of Education and Queensland Human Rights Commission requirements for schools to have a proportionate mix of gender specific as well as unisex toilets, but the department could not confirm how many schools across the state had them.

The Courier Mail has obtained a notice sent out to students on the school’s intranet advising of the conversion of the P Block toilets in the Merivale St campus to unisex over the school holidays, with the unisex toilets operational from Monday of this week.

“Over the school holidays, the P Block toilets were converted to Unisex Toilets for all students to utilise,” the notice read.

“You will notice that the sanitary bins have been placed in every second cubicle and signs have been added to appropriate doors to indicate this.

“This is now a shared space and should be treated with respect by all students using the facility.”

The notice comes amid reports emerging of boys intimidating girls, as well as urinating on the toilet seats and sanitary bins in the unisex toilets block.

The Courier Mail has been told by a concerned parent of three girls at the school that the toilets had become unusable for female students, even if they were brave enough to go to a cubicle with groups of boys loitering outside.

“You have boys using those cubicles that were originally for girls pissing everywhere, including on the sanitary bins in those limited stalls that now have them,” the parent said.

“The school is already under pressure for these sorts of amenities, it has no suitable facilities for change rooms for girls in the school, which is one of Queensland’s premier sporting schools and yet the girls have to get changed in toilet blocks before and after school for PT and now you have this situation arising.

“It’s creating a very negative experience for the girls of the school.”

Thank you for link. This abuse of girls is appalling.

Absolutely appalling.

Yet if they object they'll be sent for re-education. It's clearly one of those situations where the entire female population of the school needs to vote out & protest loudly.

FFS, so much wrong with this.

Single sex referred to as "gender specific" whereas unisex is unisex. Does that mean that male students who identify as girls will be able to use even the small number of girls' "gender specific" toilets remaining?

And why don't the girls have changing facilities? I have never heard of that before. Do the boys have changing facilities? It's not mentioned in the article. Are we to assume that there are mixed sex changing facilities and that the girls who are not comfortable using them have to use toilet cubicles, which may now be unisex toilet cubicles which have been pissed all over by boys?

That's disgusting.

Yes, the only thing that will work is if every single female student protests.

Which is going to be nigh on possible to achieve, in a generation of girls who are more afraid of being called transphobic than they are of being sexually assaulted.

This sounds almost impossible to believe. Who on earth would think this was a good idea? I'm really struggling with the fact that in 2024 females are losing their right to safety in this way, across the whole world.

Inclusivity eh?

You've gotta love it.

Australia sounds absolutely appalling. Those poor girls. This nonsense is pure misogyny. How can anyone learn under that amount of stress and distress?

The more I read about what has been going on in schools the more I wonder if single sex schools from the age of 11 to 16 would make for a calmer experience for everyone. The boys' and girls' grammar schools near me share resources to a certain extent, particularly at A level, but the buildings and facilities are separate. (Unless that has changed in recent years. I hope not).

Back in the 60s, when I was at school boys and girls only mixed in class. We went in separate entrances, had separate cloakrooms/toilets at opposite ends of the building. You can still see the signs in the brickwork/tiling over the doorways. Mixed toilets would have been unthinkable.
(I know there were were lots of negative things back then in terms of different subjects being taught to boys and girls, but that, at least, has changed for the better).

Rightsraptor · Today 06:52

Yet if they object they'll be sent for re-education. It's clearly one of those situations where the entire female population of the school needs to vote out & protest loudly.

I agree and they need their parents to kick up about it, too. And I include the fathers.

I think that single sex schools are doing a better job than other organisations in maintaining a single sex environment.

They know it is lawful for them to refuse to admit trans identifying students of the opposite sex. They also know that many fee-paying parents will have chosen to send their child to the school precisely because it is single sex, and so they fear the backlash from those parents far more than any backlash from trans activists.

I know a guy who is a well-educated professional in his 40s, considers himself a sensible centrist and a bit of an intellectual. Like a geekier, less strident version of James O'Brien, shall we say. His wife apparently identifies as non-binary. He told me that around a quarter of the girls in his daughter's school identify as LGBTQ+, and recently successfully campaigned for all the toilets to be made mixed gender. The school was fine with this, apparently.

Upon further digging, it emerged that his daughter is at an all girls' school.

I swear, this is a true story.

😂

My boys are both at a single sex school I was nervous about this, but am now, since learning about all this stuff, so glad. My oldest was briefly enrolled in a State school not far from the one in this article and during a recent conversation about this gender stuff he told me there had been lgbti+ student clubs and rainbow days all the time. He said it was boring and annoying. I am so glad they both can just focus on school and friends and sports and being kids in an environment that confirms them as boys, celebrates them as boys, and supports them as individuals with unique personal self expressions, without the tedious gender questioning. The pastoral care at their boys school focuses on caring for the vulnerable in the community rather than wondering what their gender is. No dodgy "inclusion" external traning, but definately plenty of pastoral days devoted to being their best selves. I used to be a massive supporter of the State School system, but no more. I want a choice in what my children learn.