Shared, genderless restrooms

[ronandannette]

I rarely use a public restroom. If they all become genderless, I would make my husband go in with me and stand outside the stall door. I would be frightened that I could be the only woman in the restroom and some strange man walks in. No thank you.

After all the hype and concern, going on for years now, I've yet to see a facility with multiple stalls go co-gender. Only ever the ones that are stand-alone individual rooms with locking doors and with that type, there's no danger of anyone of any kind walking in.

 

[kdonnel]

My college dorm was built in the 50's. There was a common bathroom on each side of the hall with six stalls, six sinks, and a shower room with six shower heads, three on opposing walls, no shower curtains.

I went to what was then named North Georgia College, which had/has a large ROTC program. My senior year the military program decided to enter the 21st Century and fully integrated the dorms moving the women into the same halls as the men in their company instead of the women being all isolated on their own hall.

The bathrooms were only remodeled to make the stall dividers and doors go floor to ceiling.

Additionally a sliding sign was installed on the door so it could be Womens or Mens depending on which way the sign was slid. Since there were two bathrooms on each floor there were designated times in the morning and evening where one was exclusively Women or Men due to the single large shower room/changing room.

At other times you were free to use the stalls and sinks.

There were times I was washing my hands next to a woman who was also washing her hands after we had both used the bathroom.

I don't remember there being any push back from the students but some significant push back from parents.

The dorms continued to function that way until they were torn down and replacements built that had bathrooms shared by 2-4 rooms at which points the bathrooms were once again designated for a single sex.

 

[bcla]

After all the hype and concern, going on for years now, I've yet to see a facility with multiple stalls go co-gender. Only ever the ones that are stand-alone individual rooms with locking doors and with that type, there's no danger of anyone of any kind walking in.

I'll go back to the origin of this topic. This is the M.H. de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. These photos were taken by a visitor the month before I posted about it here.

I dragged my wife into the former men's room just so she could see what the deal was.

I suspect that this style (which is just a resignation of an existing facility) is likely to go away in the future as new facilities are made with locking doors, and possibly without urinals. That being said, I've been to a few single-occupant/family ones that had a urinal.

 

[ronandannette]

I'll go back to the origin of this topic. This is the M.H. de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. These photos were taken by a visitor the month before I posted about it here.

I dragged my wife into the former men's room just so she could see what the deal was.

I suspect that this style (which is just a resignation of an existing facility) is likely to go away in the future as new facilities are made with locking doors, and possibly without urinals. That being said, I've been to a few single-occupant/family ones that had a urinal.

I didn't say there weren't any, I said I've never encountered one. I really don't think there are that many in the everyday places your average middle-American (or Canadian) would regularly go.

 

[bcla]

I didn't say there weren't any, I said I've never encountered one. I really don't think there are that many in the everyday places your average middle-American (or Canadian) would regularly go.

They made a big deal out of it on Ally McBeal.

 

[Moliphino]

I'm more horrified by open showers without any dividers than all gender bathrooms. I couldn't do it.

 

[bcla]

I'm more horrified by open showers without any dividers than all gender bathrooms. I couldn't do it.

Nobody in my PE classes ever showered. Not enough time anyways. I used an open room shower once when I had no other option. It was at a pool facility and I didn’t even take off my trunks while showering.

 

[Moliphino]

Nobody in my PE classes ever showered. Not enough time anyways. I used an open room shower once when I had no other option. It was at a pool facility and I didn’t even take off my trunks while showering.

Nobody showered after gym (when we had swimming we washed our hair in the showers at the pool in our bathing suits), but most people did change right by the lockers. Not me, I went into a shower stall to change. Nobody is going to see me even partly naked.

 

[ramee]

I have no good answer. Perhaps Americans would be confused without some qualifier on the signs. “Is this for both men and women?”

And Americans would definitely be confused by “Washroom.” “I’m not here to do laundry!”

Right. Who rests in there? Or it’s referred to as a bathroom when most of the time there’s no bath. I think the U.K. has it right and just call it the toilet.

 

[RedAngie]

Right. Who rests in there? Or it’s referred to as a bathroom when most of the time there’s no bath. I think the U.K. has it right and just call it the toilet.

The US has always been uncomfortable with the word “toilet.” Hence all the euphemisms: restroom, powder room, Comfort Station, etc.

And I don’t think there is a single manufacturer that calls the product “Toilet Paper.” It’s “Bathroom Tissue.” Even here on this board many call it TP, and in a lot if cases I don’t think it’s for brevity.

 

[RedAngie]

In junior high we were required to shower after gym class. It was actually part of the grade we received. A teacher’s aide would stand there with a clipboard checking off girls’ names.

It was an open shower room with three of those poles with six shower heads on each one. Very awkward for many girls whose bodies were developing at different rates.

By high school many girls didn’t shower after class because there often wasn’t enough time to do so and get to their next classes on time.

 

[mom2rtk]

In junior high we were required to shower after gym class. It was actually part of the grade we received. A teacher’s aide would stand there with a clipboard checking off girls’ names.

It was an open shower room with three of those poles with six shower heads on each one. Very awkward for many girls whose bodies were developing at different rates.

By high school many girls didn’t shower after class because there often wasn’t enough time to do so and get to their next classes on time.

Same here. It was pretty traumatizing.

 

[bcla]

Nobody showered after gym (when we had swimming we washed our hair in the showers at the pool in our bathing suits), but most people did change right by the lockers. Not me, I went into a shower stall to change. Nobody is going to see me even partly naked.

It was weird at our local water park. They had showers outside - mostly to rinse although I suppose one could have done an actual shower, but with a bench inside the restrooms for changing. Then they removed all the benches from the restrooms, added toilets/urinals, but changed to a separate, unisex changing area with heavy curtains and an attendant. It was a lot like a store fitting room.

That being said, a lot of store fitting rooms are more or less unisex. My wife has asked me to go in with her on occasion for one reason or another.

 

[bcla]

The US has always been uncomfortable with the word “toilet.” Hence all the euphemisms: restroom, powder room, Comfort Station, etc.

And I don’t think there is a single manufacturer that calls the product “Toilet Paper.” It’s “Bathroom Tissue.” Even here on this board many call it TP, and in a lot if cases I don’t think it’s for brevity.

These guys aren't afraid.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-big-roll-1-roll-toilet-paper/ID=300394840-product

 

[RedAngie]

All men’s rooms should have this above the urinals.

 

[bcla]

All men’s rooms should have this above the urinals.

View attachment 618341

 

[RedAngie]

So, is that like writing your name in the snow?

 

[pahoben]

A couple times, outside the US, I was sitting in a stall with the door closed but signicant gap at the bottom. I heard the cleaning women stirring around and then the stern order-Raise your feet. I did and the mop comes in under the door and mops in front of the toilet. Gotta love efficiency.

 

[Sinder]

I have no good answer. Perhaps Americans would be confused without some qualifier on the signs. “Is this for both men and women?”

And Americans would definitely be confused by “Washroom.” “I’m not here to do laundry!”

I think most Americans can figure out that "bathroom" means come in and do your business whoever you are. At least I hope most of us could, I mean we all have them in our homes.

I'll go back to the origin of this topic. This is the M.H. de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. These photos were taken by a visitor the month before I posted about it here.

I dragged my wife into the former men's room just so she could see what the deal was.

I suspect that this style (which is just a resignation of an existing facility) is likely to go away in the future as new facilities are made with locking doors, and possibly without urinals. That being said, I've been to a few single-occupant/family ones that had a urinal.

When I first read that last sign I thought Eww gross, water fountains in the restroom. Then I re-read it and realized what they meant.

 

[BrianL]

Honestly, if they just made all restroom stalls with full floor to ceiling walls with real doors and no gaps, that would make them much more comfortable for, well, everybody, right? It would mitigate a lot of the issues people have with it.