(That you may not have considered)
Most of us (actually, I’d wager all of us) have used public bathrooms at one point in our lives. After all, having a toilet to use is one of our basic needs, along with food and shelter, so why not build bathrooms in public places? It just makes sense. The thing is, there is something wrong with almost all of these public bathrooms – well, quite a few things – but I’m talking about gendered bathrooms. You know, those little stick- people denoting the ‘male’ and ‘female’ bathrooms? You may not have given much thought to these, but for some of us they pose quite an issue. I will be talking about my experience navigating these gendered bathrooms, and the injustice they represent.
I am a non binary person – someone that doesn’t fit into the gender binary of ‘male’ or ‘female’. Can you see the issue yet? Whenever I go to a public place I am faced with a choice: ‘male’ or ‘female’? I am neither. The option of “Why don’t you choose one? I mean, it’s not a big deal – we know you’re non binary, so what does it matter?” has been brought up by many a well-meaning cisgender person. Yet, it’s not that simple – at least, not for me. The problem posed for me is that no matter which one I choose, it is still me compromising a part of myself, and I have fought for my right to be myself since I came out. Also, sometimes it’s just not safe.
Then there is the wheelchair-friendly bathroom. Sure, that bathroom isn’t gendered, but I am an able-bodied person that does not require the amenities that that bathroom provides. I should not be taking up a stall designed to be used by someone who actually needs it. In this situation I can’t win. An impossible and compromising choice, or using amenities that I do not require. This is injustice – maybe not deliberate, but hurtful all the same.
This is one of the many examples of trans and non binary people being excluded and forgotten when it comes to design, but it’s not just the queer community who are affected by gendered bathrooms. Parents with children of a different sex/gender to themselves need to compromise too, and this can be especially difficult in cases where the child is older but still needs help, such as where the
child may have a mental or physical disability. Also, baby-changing facilities are almost always in the women’s bathroom (do I need to point out the sexism and impracticality here?). People with carers of a different sex/ gender to them also face difficulties.
So, what can we do about this injustice? Well, we can introduce more gender-neutral bathrooms. This can be as simple as changing the stickers on bathroom doors, or as complex as installing new bathrooms specifically for this purpose. We can still retain gendered bathrooms, but let’s look at some benefits (and examples) of gender-neutral bathrooms:
Benefits
Some benefits of gender neutral bathrooms are that there is way less waiting time for women/AFAB (Assigned Female at Birth) people. They are also better financially as public places can reduce on plumbing costs without increasing waiting times. They ensure trans people, parents, people with carers etc. are happier and safer.
Examples
New schools in Ireland now have a choice to install gender neutral bathrooms. Some places where I have seen gender neutral bathrooms operating successfully include Dublin City University and the Lighthouse cinema in Smithfield in Dublin. If they can work in educational and social settings such as these, there’s no reason they can’t work elsewhere.
The future is bright for LGBTQIA+ people, but we can make it brighter by installing safe and inclusive unisex bathrooms for anyone to use.