In the recent past, there has been increased activism with regards to gender neutral washrooms. The proponents of the concept argue that gender specific toilets discriminate against the transgender community. They also argue that gender neutral washrooms will address the issue of long queues in women toilets. However, this idea is in itself self-destructive. Gender neutral toilets will compromise the security of the vulnerable in the society. These include women, children, the elderly and even the transgender individuals as well. It also compromises the privacy of women. In this paper, I will argue that gender specific washrooms should continue but the number of women toilets should be increased to cater for the special needs and the long women stay in the washroom. The paper also proposes the need for family washrooms to cater for parents taking their young children to the washroom.
Keywords: Gender neutral washrooms, Unisex, Transgender, privacy, safety.
Have you ever wondered why men and women use different washrooms?
I always did.
Then came the issue of gender equality and transgender community. Reading through various opinions, I found out that there are varying opinions on the rights and privilege of each gender. The historical perspective of these privileges is dazzling.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
And more importantly, do you mind sharing the washroom with a person of different gender? Should this be the new way of life?
Over the past few decades, there have been divergent views of the issue of gender neutral washrooms. Various issues have been raised with respect to pros and cons of having gender neutral washrooms. The proponents are of the view that gender neutral washrooms will reduce discrimination. This is especially in the setting of transgender individuals. However, gender neutral washrooms compromise on the security and privacy of the vulnerable in the society and thus their construction should be halted and the idea discarded. Women, children and the elderly are regarded as the vulnerable population. In my opinion, gender neutral bathrooms are a threat to the security of women and the vulnerable individuals in the society (Portuondo, 2017) . Therefore, the concept of gender neutral washrooms is not a solution to the issues of discrimination because it leads to more problems related to safety and privacy.
Public rest rooms became popular in the United States in 1870s following public health reforms at the time. Only a few people had access to sewerage system as at 1896. When the concept of public washrooms came about, the then lawmakers designed them exclusively for men. The society then was largely patriarchal. Male dominance was evident at the time. Men were projected as the breadwinners who place was supposed to be in the public life. This explains why most public washrooms were largely male (Portuondo, 2017) . Women in this case were exclusively domestic. They were tasked with maintaining their homes and rearing children. In this case, provision of public restrooms for women was not deemed as necessary. This limited the mobility of women especially in the public realms. Most of them were forced to live a domestic life at home. The emergence of sex-segregated bathrooms came about as a result of stereotypes that projected women as a weaker and vulnerable sex. The then legislators proposed separate women bathrooms to cater for some special needs of women. Such needs included the increased susceptibility of women to hysteria, dizziness and fainting (Portuondo, 2017) .
The idea of gender neutral washrooms is anchored on the premise the dichotomy of male and female leaves out others out. These include the transgender individuals. This is viewed as discrimination. The proponents of gender neutral washrooms argue that transgender individual are forced to choose what washroom to use. This leads to anxiety (Bobel & Kwan, 2011) . These individuals also report harassment while using public toilets. One can argue that these are valid points based on their emotional angle. However, the quest for gender neutral washrooms also places the same transgender individuals at risk of sexual assault. Further, gender neutral washrooms pose great danger to other vulnerable members of the society such as women, children and the elderly. Statistics reveal that most sexual assault happens in unisex changing rooms. According to Freedom of Information, unisex changing rooms are more dangerous than single –sex facilities with respect to safety for women and girls. Cases of Voyeurism, sexual assault and harassment in single-sex facilities only account for 10% of the total cases compared to 90% of cases reported in Unisex washrooms. Moreover, about two thirds of sexual assault cases that are reported in public swimming pools and leisure centres (SheilaJeffreys, 2014) .
The use of the same washrooms by both men and women increases the chances of women contracting urinary tract infections. Men and women have different biological makeups. The anatomy of the male and female genital tracts is different. Women have an increased risk of acquiring urinary and genital tract infections compared to men. This is mainly attributed to a shorter urethra. Having gender neutral bathrooms increases the risk of women and young girls acquiring infections such as chlamydial infections. This is because of the likelihood of urine sprinkling on the toilet as men use the toilet for a short call. This increases the chances of women having ascending infections. In addition, women have cyclical monthly periods. Gender neutral washrooms create a state of awkwardness when women visit the washrooms to change their pads. This is segregation in a way because it can prevent a shy girl from using a bathroom. Ultimately, this can have far reaching psychological effects on such a girl. According to a review by the Women’s Voices Wales, pupils interviewed raised concerns over their safety while using unisex toilets in schools. Most girls reported that they feared going to drink water and use the washrooms during the day because they feared “period shaming” from the boys. This led to anxiety associated with menstruation. Some girls opted to miss school during their menses. Boys in these facilities also intimidated girls while using the mixed sex toilets (Petter, 2019) .
Parents of students also feel the heat of gender neutral washrooms. In his article Sanchez (2019), Sanchez notes that most parents complain that they were not consulted when unsex toilets were built. In the same breadth, doctors and politicians are called on institutions to halt the building of unisex washrooms. According to Sanchez, most girls are forced to stay home to avoid the shame of having to change their pads in a gender neutral washroom. The resultant effect is increased anxiety among the girls. This can have far reaching psychological consequences. According to doctors, many girls are also holding their urine for long time. This is occasioned by the fear they have sharing washrooms with boys. Holding urine for prolonged periods can lead to increased risks of urinary tract infection. In addition, doctors note that it can also lead to kidney problems especially when coupled with reduced water intake.
In the article by Sanchez (2019), most parents and teachers are seen to complain about the consequences of having unsex washrooms. This is a clear indication that gender inclusive washrooms are causing more harm than good. The initial idea into building unisex toilet was to address the issue of inclusiveness of children who identified as transgender and who wished to use washrooms used by the opposite gender. One parent noted that she was concerned about the safety of her two daughters. She noted that some of cubicles were open at the top. Boys would therefore climb to the top and peep on girls. Doctors, parents and politicians are seen to call for the immediate cessation of construction of unisex toilets. Politicians have called on schools to make provisions for gender specific washrooms. The outcry as evidenced by protests from parents, teachers and women activist groups indicate that gender neutral washrooms is an alien idea which should be discarded (Sachez, 2019) .
The issue of safety is also a major concern with regards to gender neutral washrooms. Exposing women and children to males while using a bathroom can increase the risks of sexual abuse. This is because washrooms are enclosed areas that are usually not manned. Therefore, a person with a motive to commit a sexual crime can do so without being easily suspected. This is the case with transgender individuals. A transgender girl is a girl (Crissman, Czuhajewski, Moniz , & Plegue, 2019) . Therefore, exposing such an individual to a male washroom increases the risk of her being sexually assaulted. Sexual offenses are thought to be propagated by visual perception. Therefore, exposing males and females in the same rooms increases the risk of sexual assault. This is especially in cases of psychopaths (Petter, 2019) . Men and women socialize differently. Women for example view the washroom as a place where they can adjust their clothes, reapply makeups and check whether their pads are leaking. This is a space that should be highly treasured. Instituting gender neutral washrooms denies women these unique rights. In this way, it can be viewed as discriminatory (Lees, 2010) .
According to Lees (2019), many women are always afraid of being sexually assaulted. The situation is even serious for trans women. Lees, a transwoman notes that she has faced harassment throughout her life. She notes that most people feel it is a right to interrogate her on very personal issues. Some people are rude and harsh to her. She recalls a time when someone pull down her bra and exposed her nipple. This was a gross violation of her basic human rights. Having gender neutral washrooms exposes women and transgender individuals to such humiliation. Women are at risk of sexual harassment.
The concept of gender specific washrooms present specific problems that mainly affect females. An example of such a problem is that women cannot use urinals. These are very specific to the male gender. The same situation is likely to happen in the cases of transgender washrooms. Men and women will have different needs. Therefore, gender neutral washrooms are not likely to solve the issues of discrimination. Piening, was arrested by the police when she was found urinating off a street at night in Leidseplein district of Amsterdam. She did this because she was a few kilometers from the nearest female toilets. Amsterdam had only three women’s toilet. Ironically, it had about 35 urinals for men. In this case, Piening feared to go to a male’s urinal. She preferred to urinate in the streets. This situation is an illustration that there is an inherent fear of women using male toilets. The solution to this problem would be to increase the number of women’s toilet. The introduction of gender neutral toilets in my opinion would not address the underlying fear of women using male toilets. According to Judge Paul Neimeyer, the use of gender specific washrooms has been a universally accepted practice over many decades. This is based on biological sex. Judge Paul noted this when he was giving a dissenting opinion to the Circuit's opinion in G.G. v. Gloucester County. The Judge faulted the decision to allow a transgender child to access washrooms that conformed to their gender. He termed the decision as “historically aberrant”. The dissenting opinion by Judge Paul points to the feeling that the biological sex of an individual determines the level of socialization and to a larger extent the nature of the washroom to use (Portuondo, 2017) .
The idea of gender specific toilets has not gone well with certain quarters. Proponents of gender neutral washrooms have fronted the idea that gender neutral washrooms will bridge the equality gap between men and women. This is based on the premise that gender specific washrooms are discriminatory against women. According to Wash Ware Essential (2020), women usually take a longer time in the washroom compared to men. This is because of the need to use the washroom while seated and the presence of tight clothing such as skirts. They also tend to use toilets more often that men owing to their genital anatomy. Moreover, women also have to attend to their hygiene matters more often compared to males. All these factors necessitate the need for more female toilets than male ones. The current situation is characterized by long queues for the ladies’ washrooms. This can happen when male washrooms are unoccupied. Unisex bathroom proponents argue that having gender neutral bathrooms incorporates everyone and thus helps in reducing these long uncomfortable queues. In this case, a woman can use any washroom that is empty.
In addition to offering inclusiveness to transgender individuals, proponents also note that unisex washrooms provide a sense of security. Transgender people are usually denied access to washrooms if the bathrooms do not correspond to their gender identity. Further, transgender individuals have many times reported incidences of threats, face taunting and physical violence when using the “wrong” bathroom. This situation can be corrected by having unisex washrooms. These washrooms will encourage inclusiveness of men, women and transgender. Some universities such as those in Michigan State have embraced the idea of gender-inclusive bathrooms. Other places that have embraced the idea include Museums such as the America Folk Art Museum. Gender-inclusive bathrooms tend to signify an organizational culture that is transgender friendly. Transgender individuals feel safe in such an environment (Washware Essentials, 2020) .
Gender neutral washrooms also cater for the needs of children accompanied by a parent of the opposite sex. According to Washware Essentials (2020), most men would feel uncomfortable taking their female children to a female washroom. Having gender neutral washrooms clears this anxiety and make it easy for such parents. In addition, unisex washrooms are considered to be cheaper compared to single gender washrooms. This is in terms of maintenance and construction (Washware Essentials, 2020) .
The reasons fronted by the proponents of gender neutral washrooms are in my opinion a little selfish and counterproductive. This is because the institution of gender neutral washrooms is fronted by activists who desire inclusiveness especially of the transgender individuals. Inclusiveness should however not come at a cost in which the safety of women and children is compromised. Giving the transgender individuals this right has a ripple effect of increasing incidences of sexual assault. These incidences are directed to women, children and the transgender individuals. It also encroaches on the idea of privacy especially for women. Due to different socialization, women have unique needs which only fellow women can understand. Some of them include their cyclical menstrual periods. Unisex washrooms create anxiety in women and young girls especially during their menses. This makes them have fear while visiting the washrooms. Young girls are also denied the chance of going to school because of the fear of being “period shamed” (Crissman, Czuhajewski, Moniz , & Plegue, 2019) .
Looking at the above issues, it is evident that gender neutral washrooms will not solve the issues of gender discrimination. The solution lies in increasing the number of female toilets to cater for the unique needs of women. This will in effect actualize what Pamela (2016) emphasized in her article “Bathroom Politics: Preserving the Sanctity of the ‘Ladies’ Room”. She noted that earlier “The lady’s room was a place where women could be women- a place with no men watching, commenting or judging.” Finally, transgender individuals should be allowed to choose which washrooms they wish to use. This in my opinion offers a more realistic solution to the issues of segregation. It addresses the safety of the vulnerable in the society and preserve their privacy.
References
Bobel, C., & Kwan, S. (2011). Embodied Resistance: Challenging the Norms, Breaking the Rules. New york: Vanderbilt University Press.
Crissman, H. P., Czuhajewski, C., Moniz , M. H., & Plegue, M. (2019). Youth Perspectives regarding the Regulating of Bathroom Use by Transgender Individuals. Journal of Homosexuality .
Hannley, P. P. (2016). Bathroom Politics: Preserving the Sanctity of the ‘Ladies’ Room’ . Retrieved from Tucson Progressive: https://tucson-progressive.com/2014/05/06/bathroom-politics-preserving-the-sanctity-of-the-ladies-room/
Lees, P. (2010). Fears around gender-neutral toilets are all in the mind . The Guardian .
Petter, O. (2019, February 2019). Unisex Tolets put Schoolgirls at risk of sexual Harrasment, Claims a Women's Rights Group . Retrieved from Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/unisex-toilets-period-shaming-sexual-harassment-schools-girls-womens-voices-wales-a8784226.html
Portuondo, L. (2017). The Overdue Case Against Sex-Segregated . Retrieved from Yale JL&Feminism: https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1382&context=yjlf
Sachez, M. (2019). Girls are skipping school to avoid sharing gender neutral toilets with boys after being left to feel unsafe and ashamed . Retrieved from MailOnline: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7542005/Girls-skipping-school-avoid-sharing-gender-neutral-toilets-boys.html
SheilaJeffreys. (2014). The politics of the toilet: A feminist response to the campaign to ‘degender’ a women's space. Women's Studies International Forum , 42-51.
Boffey Daniels (2019). Protests planned at Amsterdam urinals over lack of women's toilets. The Guardian .
Washware Essentials. (2020). Planning A Unisex Bathroom: The Pros, Cons & Practicalities . Retrieved from Washware Essentials: https://www.washwareessentials.co.uk/content/unisex-bathroom
