I saw my first Gender Neutral washroom today

[Jack the Stripper]

The regular bathroom my non-religious group used as we rent a space from a religious univ, well the bathroom was under repair. So at the end of our Condo Board meeting some of us had to use the pisser.

The four of us laughed because the idea was on the news. I got fed up waiting to use it and used the mens around the corner which I did not see. This was in a Christian Univercity. I dont see why they would have to name it that, as a Family Washroom or Handicap which in my view is better suited, but its all semantics anyhow. Because now not only do disabled people not have a bathroom to use, they must go searching or use the regular bathroom. Its all very odd. It could and should be taken as a sign of prejudice towards handicapped people or people in wheel chairs. Or they could just have 2 names/placards for the bathroom, which again is insane.

[arnavvr]

What's the difference between Unisex and Gender-Neutal Bathrooms?

[Jack the Stripper]

I have yet to see a Unisex bathroom. When I was done my bid, the door was open on the placarded Gender Neutral bathroom and it was a regular handicapped style bathroom where it had one toilet, one sink and one door. I think its outright disrespect to disabled people.

 

Oh by Unisex you mean one that men or women can use, yeah like Subway. Oh I got you now. Oh those Unisex are everywhere.

 

Its all very illogical.

 

That situation might be primed for a sweet little lawsuit if a person can get a lawyer to do it pro-bono. Should cost the institution some big coin.

[arnavvr]

5 minutes ago, Jack the Stripper said:

I have yet to see a Unisex bathroom. When I was done my bid, the door was open on the placarded Gender Neutral bathroom and it was a regular handicapped style bathroom where it had one toilet, one sink and one door. I think its outright disrespect to disabled people.

 

Oh by Unisex you mean one that men or women can use, yeah like Subway. Oh I got you now. Oh those Unisex are everywhere.

 

Its all very illogical.

 

So is it the same thing?

[vanished]

Honestly, I like the idea and I can't wait for these to catch on.  But not for the main reasons the people behind them like to spread around; my motivations are purely practical.  It's simpler for construction, for use, and just more space efficient.  I've been in older buildings where the design was questionable, and unlike most places where there's simply a washroom split into men's and women's, there will either be just a men's or just a women's, and if you need the other, you have to go searching.  If there were just "washrooms" and that's it, it would be better for everyone imo.  Plus as an added bonus I suppose, those with unconventional persuations wouldn't have to feel like they're left out  

[killcomic]

5 hours ago, Jack the Stripper said:

 

That situation might be primed for a sweet little lawsuit if a person can get a lawyer to do it pro-bono. Should cost the institution some big coin.

Depends what part of the world you're in. Some countries love lawsuits... others don't.

[NumLock21]

Unisex is the door will have a male and female symbol

 

Gender neutral, symbol of male and female mixed into one

[themctipers]

imagine a circle here, with words below it:

 

Doesn't matter, just wash your hands.

[dalekphalm]

8 hours ago, Jack the Stripper said:

The regular bathroom my non-religious group used as we rent a space from a religious univ, well the bathroom was under repair. So at the end of our Condo Board meeting some of us had to use the pisser.

The four of us laughed because the idea was on the news. I got fed up waiting to use it and used the mens around the corner which I did not see. This was in a Christian Univercity. I dont see why they would have to name it that, as a Family Washroom or Handicap which in my view is better suited, but its all semantics anyhow. Because now not only do disabled people not have a bathroom to use, they must go searching or use the regular bathroom. Its all very odd. It could and should be taken as a sign of prejudice towards handicapped people or people in wheel chairs. Or they could just have 2 names/placards for the bathroom, which again is insane.

Depending on where that University is located, there may be Accessibility laws that mandate Wheel Chair access to things like bathroom facilities - however, most regions don't mandate that there must be a separate Wheel Chair accessible bathroom. If the bathroom can accommodate a disabled person, then legally speaking, it may not matter whether that bathroom is labelled with the "Wheel Chair" symbol or not.

 

I have zero problems with Gender Neutral bathrooms in concept, as long as they are replacing regular bathrooms with them.

 

Many places don't have separate bathrooms for anything. They often only have a single bathroom with a lock on the door, that is "unisex" (Gender Neutral is the same, except Gender Neutral can often accommodate multiple users at once, via bathroom stalls, urinals, etc), and wheel chair accessible.

 

It's not against the law for a non-disabled person to use a Wheel Chair accessible bathroom.

[dalekphalm]

20 minutes ago, NumLock21 said:

Unisex is the door will have a male and female symbol

 

Gender neutral, symbol of male and female mixed into one

In practice, they're the same thing though - it's just politics about the symbol or wording. Though in my experience, Unisex bathrooms tend to usually be individual use bathrooms only (Eg: Only one toilet, and you lock the bathroom door upon entry).

[TetraSky]

Well, that kind of washroom isn't that rare. They are essentially "Private" washroom, the kind where there's just a toilet and sink in there, where you go in and lock the door behind you. I mostly see this kind of washrooms in restaurants, doctor's office and other places like that. Which is made to provide a higher sense of privacy, especially for people with reduced mobility.

[dalekphalm]

9 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Well, that kind of washroom isn't that rare. They are essentially "Private" washroom, the kind where there's just a toilet and sink in there, where you go in and lock the door behind you. I mostly see this kind of washrooms in restaurants, doctor's office and other places like that. Which is made to provide a higher sense of privacy, especially for people with reduced mobility.

True "gender neutral" washrooms will essentially be a traditional large mens washroom w/ both stalls and urinals (Or, if they're catering towards the "female" side, just a bunch of stalls). Though I personally haven't seen any of those yet.

[Mooshi]

It's just a room with a toilet and a sink--the same damn set up in almost everyone's home. The left trying to be "inclusive"  and the right being all buttfended can go heck off. 

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, Mooshi said:

It's just a room with a toilet and a sink--the same damn set up in almost everyone's home. The left trying to be "inclusive"  and the right being all buttfended can go heck off. 

Well it's not a problem until one side tries to force someone to use a bathroom that they don't want to use (for various reasons). Forcing a MTF Transgendered person to use the mens washroom, after their transition, for example, would be humiliating to them, and could put them in a position for harassment, etc.

 

In converse, of a FTM transgendered person was forced to use the womens washroom after their transition, this person would look like a man, and that would cause the exact thing that the "GOP" seems to be worried about.

 

I totally understand some people might be uncomfortable using a washroom with a transgendered person, but some people are uncomfortable being around fat people or really ugly people or smelly people, and we don't discriminate against those people using the bathroom.

 

The entire concept of gender specific bathrooms is ridiculous to begin with, ESPECIALLY since washroom stalls have locks on them anyway. The only time you're actually interacting with another person in a washroom is at the sink when you're washing your hands. Even with Urinals, you can't see anything unless you specifically go out of your way to look - and that's considered bad form and rude even if it's a man doing it.

 

If businesses (or regions) want to ensure a person can go to the bathroom while feeling "safe", then those establishments should have a separate single-person private bathroom available for WHOEVER wants to use it.

[AshleyAshes]

12 hours ago, Jack the Stripper said:

I dont see why they would have to name it that, as a Family Washroom or Handicap which in my view is better suited, but its all semantics anyhow. Because now not only do disabled people not have a bathroom to use, they must go searching or use the regular bathroom. Its all very odd. It could and should be taken as a sign of prejudice towards handicapped people or people in wheel chairs. Or they could just have 2 names/placards for the bathroom, which again is insane.

So I take it the sign said 'Gender Neutral Bathroom: ALSO NO DISABLED PEOPLE OR PEOPLE WITH BABIES ALLOWED'?  I'm just checking where you got that the bathroom now excludes certain groups from accessing it and the only logical conclusion is that the signage clearly barred disabled individuals and others from using it.

 

On a side note, I would like someone to explain to me when locations have multiple single occupant rest rooms, usually two, and then gender 'male' and 'female' with signage them anyway.  That's not a 'mens' and 'womens' restroom; that's just having two bathrooms and to gender segregate them accomplishes nothing but inefficiency.  If you owned a home with two bathrooms you wouldn't be like 'Oh no, you don't want to use this bathroom here, this is the mens bathroom, the bathroom for women is upstairs, first door on your left' because that would be, ya know, insane.  Yet somehow this is the normal for many places with multiple single occupant restrooms.

[Mooshi]

3 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Well it's not a problem until one side tries to force someone to use a bathroom that they don't want to use (for various reasons). Forcing a MTF Transgendered person to use the mens washroom, after their transition, for example, would be humiliating to them, and could put them in a position for harassment, etc.

 

In converse, of a FTM transgendered person was forced to use the womens washroom after their transition, this person would look like a man, and that would cause the exact thing that the "GOP" seems to be worried about.

 

I totally understand some people might be uncomfortable using a washroom with a transgendered person, but some people are uncomfortable being around fat people or really ugly people or smelly people, and we don't discriminate against those people using the bathroom.

 

The entire concept of gender specific bathrooms is ridiculous to begin with, ESPECIALLY since washroom stalls have locks on them anyway. The only time you're actually interacting with another person in a washroom is at the sink when you're washing your hands. Even with Urinals, you can't see anything unless you specifically go out of your way to look - and that's considered bad form and rude even if it's a man doing it.

 

If businesses (or regions) want to ensure a person can go to the bathroom while feeling "safe", then those establishments should have a separate single-person private bathroom available for WHOEVER wants to use it.

It's crazy paranoia for people with no real problems to get up in arms about honestly. I've been to a few "mens"  bathrooms that were literally a toilet and a sink, not even a urinal. Even when a bathroom is "gendered", it isn't always different from a "womans"  bathroom. 

 

People who care where someone squats in a stall are sketch. 

[dalekphalm]

2 minutes ago, Mooshi said:

It's crazy paranoia for people with no real problems to get up in arms about honestly. I've been to a few "mens"  bathrooms that were literally a toilet and a sink, not even a urinal. Even when a bathroom is "gendered", it isn't always different from a "womans"  bathroom. 

 

People who care where someone squats in a stall are sketch. 

Agreed - usually smaller establishments tend to have identical bathrooms (Toilet + sink).

[Jack the Stripper]

Mens bathrooms are always dirty as us men dont care about cleanliness. Whereas womens bathrooms they care about cleanliness.

I always "try" to take more care when using a womens bathroom when the mens is taken and I really gotta go, for example at a Tim Hortons.

But otherwise I wait for the mens to be available.

Gender Neutral terminology is wrong in my opinion and should be the good ole classic mens/womens bathroom or "unisex" as stated earlier.

I believe bylaw (maybe even building) codes require a certain size & type of building to require handicap bathrooms.

I have seen places where they have male, female, family and handicapped bathrooms all side by side, a shopping mall for example.

[vanished]

14 minutes ago, Jack the Stripper said:

Mens bathrooms are always dirty as us men dont care about cleanliness. Whereas womens bathrooms they care about cleanliness.

I always "try" to take more care when using a womens bathroom when the mens is taken and I really gotta go, for example at a Tim Hortons.

But otherwise I wait for the mens to be available.

Gender Neutral terminology is wrong in my opinion and should be the good ole classic mens/womens bathroom or "unisex" as stated earlier.

I believe bylaw (maybe even building) codes require a certain size & type of building to require handicap bathrooms.

I have seen places where they have male, female, family and handicapped bathrooms all side by side, a shopping mall for example.

I continue to fail to understand how you are bringing handicapped washrooms into this discussion... I don't understand the connection.

[dalekphalm]

16 minutes ago, Jack the Stripper said:

Mens bathrooms are always dirty as us men dont care about cleanliness. Whereas womens bathrooms they care about cleanliness.

I always "try" to take more care when using a womens bathroom when the mens is taken and I really gotta go, for example at a Tim Hortons.

But otherwise I wait for the mens to be available.

Gender Neutral terminology is wrong in my opinion and should be the good ole classic mens/womens bathroom or "unisex" as stated earlier.

I believe bylaw (maybe even building) codes require a certain size & type of building to require handicap bathrooms.

I have seen places where they have male, female, family and handicapped bathrooms all side by side, a shopping mall for example.

I've worked quite a few fast food and retail jobs in which I either had to clean, or at the very least witness the state of, both Mens and Womens bathrooms.

 

The stereotype that "womens bathrooms are cleaner" is, frankly, just wrong. Not true. It might be true (in a general sense) at home, but certainly not in any place I've worked.

 

In general, I've found that they are relatively equal in cleanliness - or if anything, the Women's bathroom was often worse - like, piss on the toilet seat worse.

 

As for the rest, you're welcome to your opinion, but frankly, I think you're putting too much focus on the (non-existent) difference between a Gender Neutral bathroom, and a Unisex one. Frankly, why should we adhere to the classic male/female separated bathrooms? Any place where someone is at risk of assault, for example, is still going to be at risk even if the bathrooms are separated.

 

Gender Neutral bathrooms really only became a thing once some of the GOP red states decided to pass laws that banned transgendered people from using the bathroom they associate with (and generally look like they should be in). There have been little to no confirmed reports of a person entering the opposite sex washroom under the pretense of being transgendered to assault someone else (Which was the main argument for this law - they kept spouting shit like a man will go into the womens washroom to rape a child, then pretend he's transgendered to get away with it).

[NumLock21]

3 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

In practice, they're the same thing though - it's just politics about the symbol or wording. Though in my experience, Unisex bathrooms tend to usually be individual use bathrooms only (Eg: Only one toilet, and you lock the bathroom door upon entry).

IMO, I think gender neutral bathroom is those in large places like a shopping mall and there are separate bathrooms for both men and women with multiple toilets. So instead of going to the proper bathroom, they're suppose to, they go to the opposite.

Unisex are the ones you were talking about, single toilet and door is closed when occupied.

[dalekphalm]

3 minutes ago, NumLock21 said:

IMO, I think gender neutral bathroom is those in large places like a shopping mall and there are separate bathrooms for both men and women with multiple toilets. So instead of going to the proper bathroom, they're suppose to, they go to the opposite.

Unisex are the ones you were talking about, single toilet and door is closed when occupied.

Yes in practice a Unisex was always a private bathroom - but let's be realistic. A "Gender Neutral" bathroom, is simply a unisex bathroom that isn't a private single-user bathroom.

[The Belgian Waffle]

5 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Well it's not a problem until one side tries to force someone to use a bathroom that they don't want to use (for various reasons). Forcing a MTF Transgendered person to use the mens washroom, after their transition, for example, would be humiliating to them, and could put them in a position for harassment, etc.

 

In converse, of a FTM transgendered person was forced to use the womens washroom after their transition, this person would look like a man, and that would cause the exact thing that the "GOP" seems to be worried about.

This is the funniest thing I have ever read, 10/10 would read it again...

 

29 minutes ago, Jack the Stripper said:

Mens bathrooms are always dirty as us men dont care about cleanliness.

Don't take your animal situation for everyone's. I am a 19 years old male and I care about not peeing on the side of the fucking toilet.