I Must Confess: I’m not a fan of unisex toilets.
In theory, it sounds great! We’ve all been to many a function or restaurant only to find a queue for the female facilities, while the men’s room remained vacant. Unisex toilets would minimise the “queue for the loo”!
In practice, I’m not keen.
Unisex Toilets for Staff
Does anybody remember when they had unisex toilets for the staff in the TV show Ally McBeal? I thought it was gross …
Then came my own first encounter with unisex toilets for staff, when I worked in a library about ten years ago.
I’m not sure why only one staff bathroom was created in a building that was less than 20 years old – surely, being a comparatively recent construction, the designers weren’t thinking that only women work in libraries?
Although it is true that the majority of the staff were indeed female, there were always at least two or three men.
I felt rather uncomfortable with the concept … but eventually noticed that despite the fact it was a “unisex” staff toilet, ALL of the males preferred to use the men’s facilities on another floor of the building, or even the public facilities outside the library itself!
Unisex Public Toilets?
Recently I went to a function held at a pub and once again encountered unisex toilets. Protecting myself by wrapping my hand in toilet paper, I gingerly placed the toilet seat down. Not nice!
Am I old-fashioned in my dislike? Some things I feel are best kept separate.
And besides, how can you have a good gossip with your girlfriends, or fix up your makeup, when there is a man in the bathroom?!
What are your thoughts of unisex toilets – love them, hate them, couldn’t care less?