The removal of ladies toilets

[Sparks654]

I like many women, have been really dismayed at the removal of separate sex public toilets - and also the lack of discussion and women's voices being raised and heard on this topic. I live in Somerset, and where I live the town hall, and all public toilets are mixed sex. Private businesses also seem to be either refurbishing their facilities to remove ladies and gents toilets, or new businesses directly are making all toilets mixed sex.

This is actually silently excluding women from public spaces, although I know anecdotally of men who've told me they feel uncomfortable with the mixed sex bathroom arrangement and that they are intruding on women's space. In fact recently I was visiting an art gallery and had no option but to use the facilities - which I discovered are now unisex. A man entered and saw a row of women and asked - "this is unisex isn't it?" He hovered awkwardly at the door.

I wonder if other regions are noticing the same thing? Polls seems to suggest that over 70 percent of the population want single sex toilets and yet with public money they are being removed? I feel this is actually silently excluding women and girls from public spaces we might have been able to access. Now I feel obliged to check in advance where I am going to know if there are ladies toilets available, and I am finding something that used to be a given, and a women's health service, is disappearing. Wonder what is happening elsewhere and if there is a free discussion taking place, or - if in my experience - a dose of cancel culture is stopping the question of women's rights being raised?

The main concern here ( apart from wee on the floor as men stand )
is the rising problem with men installing secret cameras

Does your office do regular checks
( at least daily ) they can be hidden almost anywhere these days. Even masquerading as a screw

So it’s a no from me

Moore recently made an oblique reference to this: that in some key YourParty meetings, constituents are segregated by sex - presumably out of pious modesty. How likely is it that transwomen would be welcomed with open arms into those segregated spaces? Not very, she would suggest.

Yes, it is just not going to happen. The trans agenda is the site of its own crucifixtion. Nonsense meets reality.

Yes exactly these sorts of things are being overlooked. Also I have found women changing, doing their make up, or making other adjustments that maybe they wouldn't feel so comfortable doing with a man there.

Yes but also women are being silenced, which is even worse. Less so than 10 years ago when a friend told me at her school they were firing staff that spoke out against the mixed sex new loo block (obviously research has shown this leads to girls missing school and at best dehydrating or experiencing discomfort in avoiding using the toilets), but it's still quite a delicate topic. The council replied to me quite aggressively with the usual "we are being inclusive"line (it was actually via third party emails which I had sight of - an event organiser for the thing I was supposed to attend). There was even some discussion from the event people about labelling temporarily the toilets as women only for the event, but I said that it would need to be a few loos, not just one. In the building all of the 11 toilets are mixed sex, they are in a room, rather than opening onto a corridor, and there is one disabled loo - which is what the council invited women to use. So one mixed sex disabled loo for 50% of the population, who spend a third more time in the bathroom than men....crazy stuff.

Anyway, I did make the Somerset council leader aware, - in typical politician/public servant fashion he just replied two lines saying it was within each towns remit to decide blah blah. So all a bit pointless. The only other thing is to write to compliance, and ask them to review if this is legal.

I just feel so frustrated and sorry that now before I go anywhere, in the back of my mind is a worry about accessing ladies' toilets. One thing I have started doing - which maybe others could too - is post a question on the Google site for the company - in the "post a question" bit. That way others can see the answer, and it does something to expose the concern that we have.

Just another note for anyone out there following this lamentable situation - I support Sex Matters - if you don't already consider signing up to their newsletter and if you can support them. It boggles my mind that women are having to redirect energy away from other women's rights issues that need attending to, to just try and reclaim a basic right and space, but that's where we are , and I am very grateful to Maya Forester and co for their bravery and tireless campaigning. They are our present day suffragettes.

Otherwise as I say I am making it a point to ask venues if they offer ladies toilets, or not. If I get the unisex reply (unless a small biz which has only one loo), then I say unfortunately I won't be visiting. I definitely won't be back to Hauser ana Wirth in Somerset. They also now have mixed sex loos. Economics seems to be the only thing that is understood, so voting with our feet may have to be the way!

This. I feel really strongly that old style cubicles, open top & bottom, in a single sex space are by far the safest.

They are also much better for parents with children including teenagers. You may want yo have a discreet conversation with your child while maintaining their privacy. Its impossible with the fully sealed cubicles with heavy doors that are often off a public corridor.