The obvious answer - as has been touched on - is to do away with segregated bathrooms altogether. We have a few sets of newly built gender neutral toilets at our uni library - which are literally three separate cubicles that have a toilet, sink and Dyson Airblade in, and they are a **** load nicer than the regular segregated toilets :laugh: when I stumbled upon them by accident I was amazed

There is literally no reason to separate toilets by gender. Or changing rooms, for that matter. Do away with those awful open spaces you get at some leisure centres - I don't wanna see a 70 year old's dick flapping around, thanks. I agree with TS that the solution is individual cubicles.

On topic - I think the notion that 'pervy' men are going to dress up as women to gain access to their toilets so they can attack someone is problematic on two counts: the first being that as has already been pointed out, many trans people will have been using the 'wrong' bathroom without anyone knowing for decades and I don't think there's much evidence of this being a particularly pertinent problem, and the second that if a man (or a woman, actually) wishes to lurk in a bathroom waiting to attack someone, they will do it regardless. A sign above a door isn't going to stop anyone. Not to mention the fact that most sexual assaults don't take place inside a public toilet at the hand of a stranger, but rather with people you know in a place you're familiar with.

lol I post this and then this article pops up on my Facebook feed

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/...e96746917.html

Unisex bathrooms is a breeding ground for perverts and rapists

On what basis?

There is just no logic to this argument whatsoever. The proliferation of unisex toilets would inevitably mean more people in any one bathroom at any one time. Which, by all conventional wisdom, thus makes them safer.

And again, if you think that right now, this very minute, with the existing set ups we have - 'perverts and rapists' won't enter toilets that don't correspond to their gender because of a sign above the door, you are sadly mistaken. Also again - you're more likely to be attacked at home than you are in a public toilet.

Nobody will notice people taken pics of people in other cubicles because they can be in there and nobody will kick up a fuss of someone entering late at night and rapes the only person in there.

Also everyone is entitled to privacy within there own gender and should not be forced to share

With all due respect, you're making no sense at all.

People can take pictures of other people in cubicles now. In fact, if we're going to be stereotypical about this (since it only seems to be 'pervy men' that are being discussed), I'd hazard a guess that the majority of people who would be doing so would be men...to other men.

For the third time, someone could enter a public toilet late at night now and rape the only person in there. I don't know how many times I have to say this - a sign above a door isn't going to stop them from entering. What may prevent them, however, is the likelihood that comes with unisex toilets of there being more people in them at any one time.

Gender segregation is absurd on a whole multitude of levels that go way beyond toilets and changing rooms, but if we run with your last sentence then fair enough - but such a privilege is also granted to any trans person wishing to go to the toilet they feel comfortable with in private. It's as simple as that. You can't have your cake and eat it.

Anyway it will never be brought in so you are wasting your time

It's gone 2am and you're posting on a Big Brother forum. We're both wasting our time, except you're doing so by losing a debate.

You'll see anyway. I'm sure many thought the same about racial segregation.

race is different to gender.

Women have not thought for decades to be equal just to be shoved back into sharing bathrooms with men it is a pointless and weird thing for people to want.

Why would anyone want a young girl sharing the same bathroom as a man who isnt her dad

You'd be surprised, the two are related in many ways.

Women have not fought for 'decades' for segregated toilets, either. What a laughable proposition.

Because not everyone lives their life engulfed by these weird Daily Mail esque fallacies where all adult men are child molesters in waiting, or rapists hanging around public toilets, or desperate to take pictures of people in other cubicles but won't enter because a nasty little sign says they're not allowed in, perhaps?

Why the **** are you campaigning so hard for children to be exposed to more people this way

Why the **** are you so obsessed with this disturbing idea that all men are child molesters hanging around public toilets?

We have enough child abuse problems as it is now this makes them easier targets by anyone and everyone

Stop trying to be edgy daffodil facts is it is a terrible idea and there is a reason it is not legal

Christ this is monotonous.

How does it? For the last time (well, it won't be, let's be honest) - sexual assaults (especially against children) are far more likely to take place somewhere familiar to the child than they are in a ****ing public toilet. I don't know whether your vision of the world is some dystopian Maddie McCann/Jimmy Saville nightmare where all public toilets are like the BBC in the 70s, but it has no basis in reality.

Unisex toilets means more people, which automatically makes them safer.

'Edgy daffodil'? Okay, now you must be trolling.

It's not legal? So my university is breaking the law having just built several unisex toilets then? Right, I got you.

There are no 'facts' on your side of the argument. Only bizarre dystopian nightmares that have no basis in reality.

Doesnt make it safer if it is a group of people against one

They can never make people use Unisex what more facts do you need

So now there's groups of people (let me guess, men with long beards, trench coats and gloves - right?) hanging around public toilets waiting for women and children to enter alone so they can rape them? That's quite an imagination you've got there.

Erm, well...for starters, never say 'never', and more to the point, they can never make anyone use any toilet so long as their gender presentation corresponds to the sign on the door, since no one would know any different. Which is the entire debate in this thread in the first place. And it's funny, since once again - no sign on a door can make any of these ~potential paedos and rapists and child molesters~ you keep banging on about refrain from entering a public toilet should they so wish.

You have no facts. Only fallacies.

You are making it into something it isnt and adding your own bit onto what i said so im done her daffodil

No, you're adding bits on to your already absurd argument. Quite literally inventing dystopian nightmare scenarios that have no basis in reality just to fit your failing agenda.

Nice try, but you lost I'm afraid sunbeam.

Like you posted facts

More than you did.

I literally posted an article full of them in the post before you began this whole charade.

Great article, it raises some really valid points imo (and great posts too Jack I totally agree with everything you're saying)


From the article...

The 'uncomfortable' argument is one that I haven't been able to understand, it's an argument that could be used against any type of progression but discomfort is just that and fades over time, it doesn't relate to any actual or realistic possibility of increased danger in this case, I can't help but see it as more of an irrational fear.

It's a good point that people may not necessarily be transsexual and therefore don't require sex reassignment surgery but still face difficulty in terms of how other people perceive their gender/sex and the treatment they receive because of that. I suppose it's those kinds of people who would benefit the most from these laws (and I'd guess the numbers of people like this are increasing... although that is just a total guess lol).

Coming from a male perspective.

Many women would not be comfortable sharing bsthrooms with men - it doesn't matter whether you agree with that or not, that is how many women feel and such decisions should be theirs, not men's.

It's not just about sex crimes although this is undoubtedly an issue as most victims of sex crimes are female and most perpetrators are male, that is fact.

It is also about about simple things such as comfort, dignity and privacy - things that often affect/bother women more than men. You don't understand that, as a woman I do.

It really isn't for men to say women shouldn't be 'allowed' their own toilets/bathrooms.