The Guardian on the urinary leash

[turbonerd]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/29/urination-equality-amsterdam-women-win-fight-more-public-toilets

So, the Guardian knows what the urinary leash is. And can articulate that there is a difference in the needs of women and men. A good start I guess.

They are making very small, reversing motions aren’t they, hoping we will forget their part in all of this.

This is such an outrageous case - basically the authorities don't provide public toilets for women and then punish them for urinating in the street. Could there be a clearer way of saying that women should stay at home?

Also, don't for a moment think that the Guardian is reversing its position on gender. See today's interview of Ben Bradshaw by Zoe "handmaiden" Williams.

"I tell Bradshaw I’m relieved he is resolute on trans rights; it’s only a week since shadow health secretary Wes Streeting U-turned and said he’d been wrong to say trans women were women."

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/29/labour-ben-bradshaw-on-blair-brexit-and-battling-homophobia

a shame the Netherlands doesn’t have its own Billy Bragg, such a figure might easily have cut this unfortunate Gordian Knot by pointing out that the district’s many windowed knocking shops have excellent female toilet facilities, and that any cervix haver needing a late night toilet stop by simply seeking employment in one of those fine establishments.

No, I guess they are not quite there.
I just wanted to save this article for posterity whenever someone goes off on a «just wanting to pee» tangent. This could be useful because it is closer to home.

The bit that struck me in this article:

Bradshaw and his husband, BBC producer Neal Dalgleish, have several close friends who have trans children.

"Several". Some form of social contagion or is it just really trendy to have "trans kids"?

It's a social circle thing, like an echo chamber.

You hang out with similar people with similar interests to the exclusion of others.

So yes it's trendy in that social circle. And very much unreflective of the world as a whole.

And, as usual, there’s the implied correlation of right wing equals gender critical.

Yes, that does annoy me.

GC and RW usually also want clean water and food to eat. Aligned!!

Its not even just the authorities. Lots of cafe's (including McDonald's) will charge you money to use their toilets even if you are a paying customer (different if it was to deter people popping in for a Mcwee). Shopping centres/train stations all charge for toilets if they have them at all and even large supermarkets don't tend to provide toilets. So you are completely stuffed if you are out in public and need a wee. Of course - men just wee where they like so they get rewarded for that by being given free urinals and women get nothing (until this case). I am glad the issue in Amsterdam is being addressed but to be honest the rest of the country is just as bad.

That's why it really annoys me when you had American TRA types saying "oh in more relaxed countries like the Netherlands no-one makes this much fuss about bathsooms". Thats because there are no public toilets/bathrooms to make a fuss about. Grrrrr. Will be interesting to see if they do actually instal women's toilets like they say or just cop out and instal "toilets" that anyone can use.

When I expressed my views on genderism to my London cousin and spouse a couple of years back they were terribly shocked and warned me not to say that where anyone else could hear me. Then went on to say there seemed to be more children who were trans identifying than not among their friends' offspring. Middle class literary types - I saw one lot namechecked here a month or two back.

But they didn't disagree with me, and I think were relieved that their own youngsters remain the sex they were registered as.

Lots of cafe's (including McDonald's) will charge you money to use their toilets even if you are a paying customer (different if it was to deter people popping in for a Mcwee). Shopping centres/train stations all charge for toilets if they have them at all and even large supermarkets don't tend to provide toilets. So you are completely stuffed if you are out in public and need a wee.

I found the same when I visited Belgium. I really think it's outrageous because it is such a clear-cut case of sex discrimination - men get public urinals, women get nothing at all. Even in London, you now have these urinals all over the place - obviously a good thing in one way because it stops men publicly pissing in the street, but why can't women have toilets too?

It also affects people with bladder or bowel dysfunction (quite a large group) and, as it says in the article, people in wheelchairs. And yet this huge, obvious injustice, which leads to some people feeling unable to venture out in public, hardly gets discussed.

'scuse me, there's a lot of us have "trans children". It's all over the place. Doesn't mean we're all hanging out the bunting.

Worst was going to non-gender-related event and catching up with an ex-workmate who said her teenage children have both decided they are trans. She was looking to me but I had no comfort to give any other parent caught up in this shitshow.

Do you think it's all coming from the schools @MumOfYoungTransAdult , or social media ?

I think what I'm asking is would schools NOT encouraging it reduce the epidemic? Even as I ask, I think how unsuccessful schools are/were in limiting the spread of anorexia.

It's coming from a lot of places. I'm in Scotland and the schools are certainly not helping. They've accepted gender ideology at face value and they don't realise that what they have been doing is encouraging and spreading gender dysphoria.

What I mean is, schools can't stop it but they could try not affirming it, not having children tell each about it at assembly, not running clubs where children can obsess together about gender identity.

It's so crazy. I hope you and yours come out the other end without too much lasting damage.

@RoyalCorgi yes, it's almost like different writers working for the same newspaper have different points of view isn't it?

Well said.
Free Public toilets are an absolute necessity, and that they are sex segregated equally so -
Disabled toilets should really be at the top priority here too.

My DD has severe autism. Mixed sex toilets are not suitable for her and me for a lot of different reasons. They all have to do with safety and dignity - for us both.

I hope Amsterdam city council respond with adequate facilities.