Kicking Up A Stink: Gender Neutral Toilets

Over the summer, UEA installed the famous ‘Gender-neutral’ toilets. You may remember the uproar last year and the debates around the ethics of having toilets that everyone can feel free to use. However, after the introduction, how are they working out in real life?

The argument for introducing the toilets was to increase the comfort of UEA’s transgender population, who could potentially find having to choose male or female toilets stressful and upsetting. The counter-arguments included the fact that women, particularly on an LCR night, use the loo as a refuge from unwanted male attention, and gender-neutral toilets would be an invasion of this privacy, and could lead to women feeling more vulnerable.

I think that in theory the idea is solid and is founded on good principles; those of equality and consideration for all. I can see the argument that for those who do not identify as cis-gender, the toilets could provide something of a relief in terms of not having to make the uncomfortable choice between male and female toilets.

Credit: abettershreveport.blogspot.com

Reactions to the concept have ranged from ‘I don’t know, it’s weird’, ‘It’s going to encourage rape’ and, from Chris Govier at St Andrews University, who are also jumping on the gender-neutral bandwagon, ‘I love the idea, breaking down archaic social barriers’ . There have been suggestions of group selfies in this spirit, but obviously this is not compulsary…

As far as the counter-arguments go, I see no reason for there to be any serious problems as long as there are still options for single-sex toilets in the same area. In many restaurants, cafes and other public places there may be unisex toilets and this rarely poses a problem. The main issue I can see would be the need for women-only toilets on an LCR night, and this need has been met by having the gender-neutral toilets as an option rather than a necessity.

One other consequence that was mentioned when getting some opinions was the cleanliness of the toilets, and the fact that men and women may not have the same hygeine standards. While there may be some truth in this, the main point I think in relation to this issue is that there is no need to use the unisex toilet if another one would be preferable, and I therefore do not envisage many problems with their introduction. Anything that promotes equality and makes people feel more relaxed and comfortable while on campus should be seen as a good thing, and if people have a problem using a toilet in which members of the opposite sex may also be using then they can go elsewhere. Matter closed.