Gender- neutral Bathrooms

[Anonymous]

Hmm, this "gender obsession" seems like a sort of "never ending" story inthe U.S. Consider this article:


http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-bathrooms26.html

U. of C. activists want bathrooms without gender

November 26, 2003

BY LUCIO GUERRERO Staff Reporter

Transgender, gay and feminist groups at the University of Chicago are asking officials to consider creating more gender-neutral bathrooms, saying some people aren't comfortable selecting a gender-specific facility.

"Persons who are not easily legible as male or female often experience various forms of intimidation in these places. If a woman in a women's-only restroom is assumed to be a man, there may be real threats to her comfort and even safety," warns the Coalition for a Queer Safe Campus, a student group comprised of various organizations supporting equality on campus. "Students have faced gay-baiting comments in our university's sex-segregated bathrooms."

The issue is especially of concern to transgenders who attend the university. The coalition said they know of students who don't use the bathrooms at school to avoid any controversy.

Members of the Feminist Majority, Queers & Associates and the Center for Gender Studies held a panel at the university last week to discuss the issue. Moon Duchin, a graduate student at U. of C. and an adviser to the Queer Safe Campus bathroom initiative, said there is a misperception on campus from some students about the gender-neutral bathrooms.

She said after the panel convened and word spread about the topic, some students posted negative comments on Web sites about the movement.

"This is a hot-button issue with some people who think that we are trying to do away with conventional bathrooms," Duchin said. "But that's not the case. We are trying to create more choices for people."

In the short term, the group wants to change existing bathrooms on one floor of the Joseph Regenstein Library and one floor of Cobb Hall, a popular student hangout. In the future, the group would like the university to consider gender-neutral bathrooms to be included in the plans for new buildings.

"Access to public, single-occupancy bathrooms would be ideal for undercutting this source of intimidation, but converting existing multi-stall bathrooms to gender neutrality is an excellent, and easy, intermediate step," the group writes on its Web site.

University officials said they are willing to look at the buildings to see if more bathrooms can be added.

"They have done a great job of raising community awareness of the issue," said Bill Michel, associate dean of the college. "We are in the process of evaluating these two buildings to see if would be possible to create more bathrooms."

Michel said the university already has nine gender-neutral bathrooms but none in the two most popular buildings.

But it is more than just a gay and transgender issue, for some feminists the issue of gender specific bathrooms has been a problem for years.

"Some feminists might say that any sex segregation is problematic," said Mary Anne Case, a professor of law at the University of Chicago who has studied the early roots of feminism and the inequality in sex segregated bathrooms.

Case said that along with creating more bathroom space for women -- a typical problem in public facilities -- the gender-neutral bathroom would also give men and women less reasons to separate in social functions.
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What really made me laugh is the statement made by Mary Anne Coase ("the gender- neutral bathroom would also give men and women less reasons to separate in social functions"). :)

Now, that´s just ridiculous... should we establish "gender- neutral" showers in public facilities as well?

[Crazyhorse]

My opinion has always been that the cubicles should be shared between the male and female sides.

I dont think it would be too daunting for architects to come up with a combined public toilet (please, not a bathroom unless there is a bath), which has male urinals and sinks at one end, and female sinks at the other. In between would be a line (or double line) of cubicles (stalls). Whatever the number of cubicles there would be a swing door after one or two on the male side and the rest would be for majority use by women.

Assuming the same area for the toilets as now, then you could almost double the number of cubicles available to women, without any change in the overall layout of the toilet. What women would be afraid of is men infiltrating their toilets, but would that really happen? With so many women around, what would men gain?

[Anonymous]

Some hip nightclubs tried it as a novelty act back in the 1980's. but it did not last very long. The colleges that build this type of bathrooms will waste money because very few would use it. Most people prefer seperate facilities. This idea will backfire. People who hate transgendered people and want to act on it will use these areas as a focal point. Even if the facilities are guarded those that enter it will become known and attacked in another place.
I would go to multigendered facilities. Hearing panties rushed off and loud hissing after a long class would be a dream come true. And we could end the who pees longer and louder argument. But this is not going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Unisex toilets (not bathrooms, please, unless they contain a bath as pointed out by Crazyhorse) in my experience tend to mean cubicle only toilets with no urinals. Some people may be in favour of them but as a man - with an often imperfect aim - I regard them as something of an inconvenience rather than a 'convenience' if you know what I mean! :o

[Anonymous]

Well, personally, I wouldn´t mind going to "multigendered facilities" either.

But... this whole thing seems like a pseudo- issue to me:

1. "some people aren't comfortable selecting a gender-specific facility"
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Some people aren´t comfortable going to public facilities -- so should we create a special "private" public facility for each one of them???

2. "Members of the Feminist Majority, Queers & Associates and the Center for Gender Studies held a panel at the university last week to discuss the issue."
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Now, at least I hope that NO taxpayers´ money whatsoever were involved in this pseudo- event!!!

3. "They have done a great job of raising community awareness of the issue," said Bill Michel, associate dean of the college. "We are in the process of evaluating these two buildings to see if would be possible to create more bathrooms."
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Now, there are thousands or even milions of people dying each year all over the world due to the lack of medication, hunger, wars or whatever.

And those people are talking about "raising community awareness" about some sort of nebulous "discomfort"?? Gimme a break!

To me, this is just the most recent sign of a huge intellectual degeneration of the so - called "Western culture". :evil:

[Crazyhorse]

I know what you are saying Adrian, but unless you have a urinal at home you must have to aim as best as possible there, and if you are in a family which includes females, then the toilet must count as unisex. I apologise for being a bit pedantic.

My idea was to increase the number of cubicles available to women without any major reconstruction, and without any restrictions on the male side of the toilets. I realise that women would be highly suspicious of a man in the next cubicle, so the whole thing would be a non-starter but it is women who are always complaining of queues.

[Anonymous]

I get your point, Crazyhorse. However at home it's easier (and more desirable) to clean up up the aim is imperfect. Also, I sometimes exercise the option of sitting down at home which I wouldn't contemplate doing in a public loo unless I also needed to do #2 and fairly badly at that. As it happens I try to do #2's at home so the need for them when out in public is fortunately rare.

[Anonymous]

Well, now it seems that "Potty Equity" and "Potty Fairness" for both sexes are the most pressing issues of the day in the U. S. :)

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Council Tackles ‘Potty Parity’ Bill

By Curtis L. Taylor
Staff Writer

December 3, 2003, 8:11 PM EST

Potty parity. Squatters rights.

Go ahead, make fun of the fact that several City Council members introduced a bill Wednesday to have more restrooms set aside for women.

Why? Because females take longer, explained Yvette Clarke, who dubbed the legislation the "Restroom Equity Bill."

"Every woman and little girl can recall a situation were they waited in a long line to use the bathroom," said Clarke, an East Flatbush Democrat and one of the main sponsors of the bill.

The law would apply to arenas, auditoriums, drinking places, meeting halls, theaters, dance halls and stadiums.

Other buildings would be required to adhere to the 2:1 ratio as best as possible, with details yet to be worked out in full.

Clarke said women often have small children to tend to, they were more clothes and, as Clarke put it, there's that anatomical difference.

"We don't have the same type of equipment that men have," said Clarke, explaining why women need more restrooms then men do.

And women don't use urinals, which allow men to zip in and out of restrooms, noted a long-time advocate of additional ladies' rooms, John F. Banzhaf III a public interest law professor at George Washington University Law School.

"I think the courts are recognizing that restroom facilities are an essential, important service," he told the Associated Press in an interview.

According to Clarke, similar bills have been adopted in at least 12 states and cities like Pittsburgh and St. Paul, Minn.

She said that the potty parity law could easily be accommodated at some facilities by the change of signs on the restroom doors.

"We have fought for equal rights in employment, leadership and society," said Brooklyn Councilwoman Leticia James. "The next logical step would be to have parity when it comes to using the restroom. That is such a basic right."

Council Majority Whip Leroy Comrie(D-St. Albans) said he had extra incentive for supporting the legislation — his spouse.

"My wife told me I should support this legislation," he said. "It is a good idea but if my wife thinks it is good, then I am all for it. She shouldn't have to wait in line."

Health Committee Chair Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea) cited economic reasons too.

"Hotels and theaters that provide extra facilities have learned that it is great for business," she said.

The mayor's office had no immediate comment.

"We have to examine the bill to see if legislative relief is appropriate," said spokesman Jordan Barowitz.

Information from the Associated Press was included in this report.
Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.

link: http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/newyork/politics/nyc-potty1204,0,2504572.story?coll=nyc-topheadlines-span
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Enjoy!!!! :shock: :twisted: :evil: :!: :o

Cheers,

Matt

[Crazyhorse]

I often sit down to pee at home also, mainly because of direction problems, and my wife complains (understandably) if I miss the bowl at first and pee some on the carpet. I have been known to sit down to pee in public toilets, but mainly when I have been trailing around the shops with those who must be obeyed, and it is really nice to just sit down for a few minutes, so I pretend to be going for a cr@p. Its a sad way to carry on really, going to the bog for a rest.

[Anonymous]

To Matt:
I would look at the same newspapers web site for op-ed pieces pro and against this proposed legislation. The anti column by Ellis Henican in Friday's paper concludes the unisex bathrooms is the answer!!!!.
If this legislation is passed this is what will happen. A detail the newspaper article left out was that the law only applies to places with more then two bathrooms. So say that a club has 4 bathrooms right now two for women and two for men. The club will not build two more bathrooms making it 4 womens bathrooms to 2 for men. This is a cutthroat business where every doller counts. So what they will do is switch one bathroom making so that the club now has 3 women's rooms and 1 men's. So it looks like I will have less sightings for you but the New York women posters will have more.