Gender-Neutral Bathrooms

[djibouti]

I'm applying to colleges this year and one of the biggest things that put me off from certain ones was coed dorms/bathrooms. Personally, that's something I am NOT comfortable with at all.

The unisex bathrooms that are just one room with a locked door I'm ok with. But the idea of having a man in the stall next to me makes me uneasy.

[changemanagement]

As I get older and the arthritis is kicking into high gear, all I want is a close and accessible bathroom. If it means it's a unisex or ngender neutral bathroom, that is perfectly fine.

/hobbles off to find the bathroom on the 1st floor

[dawn]

We have one bathroom with two stalls at work and no gender designation. I thought it was weird at first but it's really no big deal - and it's a lot more practical because we have many more women than men working.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Single toilet washrooms should be unisex.

As for others, I used one once and found it weird. As sympathetic as I am, I'm not sure that the rest of the universe needs to do without something as basic as a more discreet washroom to avoid any kind of discomfort for a small minority of trans people.

It would also take some major redesigning. Urinals wouldn't be as efficient if they all had to be enclosed in stalls. You would also need to eliminate all gaps in partitions and stall doors, because right now you can see plenty. I might even want some ability to wash right in the stall itself - you have the odd menstrual mishap in life.

[Shirley MacLaine]

I really, deeply do not care about having gender segregated bathrooms. I suppose I think there should always be all three options, men, women, gender neutral. The cleanliness thing doesn't make any sense to me, given the absolutely disgusting women's restrooms I've been in.

Anyway, I went to a school with mainly co-ed dorms and bathrooms and I really liked it. I'm just more comfortable in situations where I feel I'm properly in the mix.

[JenniferJuniper]

Single toilet washrooms should be unisex.

It would also take some major redesigning. Urinals wouldn't be as efficient if they all had to be enclosed in stalls. You would also need to eliminate all gaps in partitions and stall doors, because right now you can see plenty.

Actually, I think these issues are some additional reasons for the changes to be made.

At a university where a friend of mine teaches, a student used his phone to film unsuspecting professors using urinals, being sure to get their faces as well so the professors and their equipment could be matched up. He was only caught because one of the girls he showed the films to reported him. As far as I know, nothing was posted on-line, but it easily could have been.

[LynnKaboom]

First, women can be down right disgusting. Second, anything women need to do in the bathroom is natural and men already know about it (or they should).

Yep. My ex-suitemate was foul. Used condoms, used sanitary napkins and tampons all over the place. The whole suite probably needed to be nuked from orbit, it was that gross. When I went to visit my friend at his university and visited his frat house, my reaction was basically "holy shit you guys are clean!"

Although I do kind of agree- I dislike using the bathroom if there's anyone else in there, but you know, when you gotta go, you gotta go, and I'd rather use a bathroom full of other people than piss on myself. I don't have a problem with the gender-neutral bathroom- I'd probably just use whichever was closer/emptier at the time.

[Shirley MacLaine]

Yep. My ex-suitemate was foul. Used condoms, used sanitary napkins and tampons all over the place. The whole suite probably needed to be nuked from orbit, it was that gross. When I went to visit my friend at his university and visited his frat house, my reaction was basically "holy shit you guys are clean!"

Ugh, yeah, reminds me of the 7th floor bathrooms in the north building of Hunter College (I'M CALLING YOU OUT, ANTHROPOLOGY LADIES). How can there be blood on ALL THE SEATS?

[ElphabaGalinda]

I would definately use a gender neutral bathroom. Often when i really really have to pee there's a long line in the lady's room and i would never use the entirely empty men's room next door , because i couldn't be sure it'd stay empty. So anything that frees up more bathrooms is cool with me. As long as there are stalls only, and they have functioning locks (there are certain locks that just stop working after a while) i'd be cool with it. Also I know someone who doesn't identify as male or female, and looks fairly androgynous, so deciding which bathroom to use is hard. Our school doesn't have gender neutral washrooms, other than in dorms.

I wouldn't use the kind of gender neutral washrooms i've seen in dorms that also have shower. I just wouldn't feel comfortable in a room where strange men can get naked, even if there's no way i would see anything. I also wouldn't feel comfortable getting naked to shower in such a room.

But otherwise, i'm all for the idea.

[Shirley MacLaine]

Yeah, I'll totally go in the men's if there's a ridiculous line at the women's. Sometimes... you just have to go.

[CanadianHippie]

When I was a young teen (around 14) people never knew if I was male of female so I used the men's room and the ladies room as I saw fit.

[clibbyjo]

I have cleaned the bathrooms in the library and the music building when I was a student worker in college. The men's rooms were always way more disgusting than the women's. Constantly pee all over the floor. Yes, you would get an occasional nasty period episode to deal with from the women, but just walking in the men's room in the library made me gag and I came close to falling in nasty pee a couple times(I am gagging remembering that ewww).

To all men, women,trans, etc... CLEAN UP YOUR MESS. The poor cleaning ladies do not to clean it up and you would NOT leave that kind of mess at your parents house or your own and you know it. :clap:

[LynnKaboom]

I have cleaned the bathrooms in the library and the music building when I was a student worker in college. The men's rooms were always way more disgusting than the women's. Constantly pee all over the floor. Yes, you would get an occasional nasty period episode to deal with from the women, but just walking in the men's room in the library made me gag and I came close to falling in nasty pee a couple times(I am gagging remembering that ewww).

To all men, women,trans, etc... CLEAN UP YOUR MESS. The poor cleaning ladies do not to clean it up and you would NOT leave that kind of mess at your parents house or your own and you know it. :clap:

If I left that kind of mess in my house, my dad would probably shut off the hot water heater or something until I cleaned it up. So word to that. :clap:

[CanadianHippie]

In women's bathrooms I have seen the following: Pee on the floor and seat, poo on the seat, toilet paper (not sure if used or not I never bothered checking) on the floor surrounding the seat, used tampons in the toilet, used pads stuck to the wall/door of the stall, and the ever present unflushed but clearly used toilet.

[dawbs]

Oh that's a good point too. I like fancy restrooms that are ladies only....especially ones that have nice big couches and stuff where woman can sit and feed a baby, etc. Nordstrom has nice bathrooms like that.

That's the one downside I see to gender neutral--loosing the 'unofficial' nursing spaces.

I *mostly* don't care about my inability to nurse discreetly but when I say without a cover we're indiscreet, I mean REALLY indiscreet. Limiting the number of people I defraud is rather nice :oops:

(I cleaned toilets in a restaurant [bill Knapp's] for a short while--generally our men's rooms were cleaner. Probably because our clientel was young families and old people.)

[emmiedahl]

They could still provide a nursing room. I personally will not nurse in a bathroom.

[Chrystal-J]

Why does everything have to "gender neutral"? When men start using tampons, then we can go gender netrual.

[Alecto]

Why does everything have to "gender neutral"? When men start using tampons, then we can go gender netrual.

Because not everyone fits into neat little gender roles?

[wtfrenchtoast]

Why does everything have to "gender neutral"? When men start using tampons, then we can go gender netrual.

I feel pretty strongly about this issue because one of my best friends is a trans boy. If he goes into the women's room, which fits his biological sex, he risks getting reported by women who feel he shouldn't be there. If he goes into the men's room, he risks rape. So I would like for him to feel safe when doing something as simple as going to the bathroom. That's just me.

That being said, I do think having all three kinds of public bathrooms is a good compromise. I understand people not being comfortable using the restroom with the opposite sex, but I think eventually society needs to get over it. However, at this point in time, I get that it probably makes a majority of people uncomfortable.

ETA: My trans friend hasn't undergone a full sex change, so yes, I'm guessing he uses tampons.

[Chrystal-J]

I see...this is a transgender issue. Maybe they could make a third restroom for transgendered persons. I used to go to a bar where tranny's hung out. I used the restroom with them and it was okay...but, still would of preferred a women's only bathroom.

But, now I see your point. That is a pickle.

[fundiefun]

I wouldn't be comfortable as a potential parent with the idea of my daughter or son being in the same rest room as those of the opposite gender especially as children. Call me old fashioned, but I'm not for the idea. I have no problem with those who are trans using the restroom as the gender they pass for/feel they are, but I don't like the idea of just coed bathrooms.

[Shirley MacLaine]

I used to go to a bar where tranny's hung out..

'trannys', ouch

[Guest Anonymous]

So what's so difficult about using the bathroom that fits the parts you currently have? If you have male parts use the men's bathroom. If at some point you get your male parts changed to female parts then use the female bathroom, etc.

[wtfrenchtoast]

So what's so difficult about using the bathroom that fits the parts you currently have? If you have male parts use the men's bathroom. If at some point you get your male parts changed to female parts then use the female bathroom, etc.

And then you get harrassed for being in the wrong bathroom. And maybe worse than harrassed. Dylan Scholinski, the speaker I saw, looks like a man. However, he has the biological 'parts' of a female. If he goes into the woman's room, everyone else in there would probably freak out and maybe call the police or something. If everyone uses the same room, no one has to speculate about what's between his legs.

[Guest Anonymous]

So what's so difficult about using the bathroom that fits the parts you currently have? If you have male parts use the men's bathroom. If at some point you get your male parts changed to female parts then use the female bathroom, etc.

Because that can result in people gender policing and beating the shit out of you when you go in a bathroom that you don't look like you ought to be going in.

**ETA: Was crossposting with wtfrenchtoast. Also, what they said.