Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Colleges start installation of gender neutral toilets

Options
1246

Comments

  • Options
    #92
    mzungu
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,306 Mod ✭✭✭✭mzungu


    professore wrote: »
    It's social engineering
    Not in this case. As plenty have stated before, loads of workplaces had them 20 or 30 years ago, there just wasn't any media reportage on it because nobody gave a crap (pun intended). A few different signs over the doors of the jacks won't do any harm to anybody.


  • Options
    #93
    jamesthepeach
    Registered Users Posts: 992 ✭✭✭jamesthepeach


    I see two problems here.
    The chicks won't like the piss all over the toilet seats and floor.
    The dudes wont like the long wait while the chicks check themselves out in the mirror and spray on the perfume.


  • Options
    #94
    jamesthepeach
    Registered Users Posts: 992 ✭✭✭jamesthepeach


    freshpopcorn wrote: »
    Serious question tough. If a bunch of straight males or females approached that lady in GMIT and said that having people who were attracted to the same sex made them feel uncomfortable would she introduce a heterosexual and homosexual toilet!


    There will then be a safe space toilet.


  • Options
    #95
    lawred2
    Registered Users Posts: 24,286 ✭✭✭✭lawred2


    freshpopcorn wrote: »
    Serious question tough. If a bunch of straight males or females approached that lady in GMIT and said that having people who were attracted to the same sex made them feel uncomfortable would she introduce a heterosexual and homosexual toilet!

    Serious question alright


  • Options
    #96
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users Posts: 81,280 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    I presume there's the full required allocation of disabled toilets installed throughout the college before they are going ahead with the a la carte jacks?


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #97
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


  • Options
    #98
    freshpopcorn
    Registered Users Posts: 30,232 ✭✭✭✭freshpopcorn


    lawred2 wrote: »
    Serious question alright

    I am being serious when we were in secondary school their was a gay guy who used act very inappropriately around people and people felt uncomfortable around him. He'd act like this in the changing room/toilets but people were afraid to say anything because they'd be labeled as homophobic! People would have felt a lot more comfortable if they knew they had a safe toilet to go to.


  • Options
    #99
    alan partridge aha
    Registered Users Posts: 3,200 ✭✭✭alan partridge aha


    freshpopcorn wrote: »
    Serious question tough. If a bunch of straight males or females approached that lady in GMIT and said that having people who were attracted to the same sex made them feel uncomfortable would she introduce a heterosexual and homosexual toilet!

    Good question, however I doubt you will get a proper answer here.


  • Options
    #100
    Irish Guitarist
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,736 ✭✭✭Irish Guitarist


    I wonder if the toilets in Oak Park forest park in Carlow count as gender neutral. There are two toilets, one has 'mna' written on it with a picture of a man underneath. and the other has 'fir' with a picture of a woman.


  • Options
    #101
    ligerdub
    Registered Users Posts: 2,584 ✭✭✭ligerdub


    freshpopcorn wrote: »
    I am being serious when we were in secondary school their was a gay guy who used act very inappropriately around people and people felt uncomfortable around him. He'd act like this in the changing room/toilets but people were afraid to say anything because they'd be labeled as homophobic! People would have felt a lot more comfortable if they knew they had a safe toilet to go to.

    Fair enough, but let's assume there were a lot of people who felt that way. In that situation you'll have a high number of people trying to use one toilet and the larger toilet room is only being used by the one person acting strangely.

    It chooses to bypass the problem with a weak solution rather than tackling the problem head on. It's high time these "phobias" were discarded and real questions were asked without reprisal.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #102
    ThinkProgress
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,634 ✭✭✭ThinkProgress


    I don't mind at all...

    I think it's about time women learned how to use urinals. ;)


  • Options
    #103
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


  • Options
    #104
    jackboy
    Registered Users Posts: 4,471 ✭✭✭jackboy


    Atlantic Dawn wrote: »
    I presume there's the full required allocation of disabled toilets installed throughout the college before they are going ahead with the a la carte jacks?

    Who knows. Unfortunately disabled is not a cool cause to fight for at the moment. Disabled toilets are commonly also used as baby changing facilities now. It's easy just to hang another sign in the door for whatever is the cause of the day.


  • Options
    #105
    Annasopra
    Registered Users Posts: 40,816 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    One eyed Jack wrote: »

    My evidence is in the same post you chose to selectively quote from.
    None then. Fair enough.

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



  • Options
    #106
    Annasopra
    Registered Users Posts: 40,816 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    freshpopcorn wrote: »
    Serious question tough. If a bunch of straight males or females approached that lady in GMIT and said that having people who were attracted to the same sex made them feel uncomfortable would she introduce a heterosexual and homosexual toilet!

    You keep prefacing your questions with "serious question....". Reminds me of. "I'm not racist but...."

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



  • Options
    #107
    professore
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,857 ✭✭✭professore


    mzungu wrote: »
    Not in this case. As plenty have stated before, loads of workplaces had them 20 or 30 years ago, there just wasn't any media reportage on it because nobody gave a crap (pun intended). A few different signs over the doors of the jacks won't do any harm to anybody.

    Were these toilets with urinals and multiple cubicles? Or single toilets? Two completely different things.


  • Options
    #108
    One eyed Jack
    Registered Users Posts: 23,679 ✭✭✭✭One eyed Jack


    Joeytheparrot wrote: »
    You keep prefacing your questions with "serious question....". Reminds me of. "I'm not racist but...."


    Joey it's a bit rich your picking apart other peoples posts in such a disingenuous fashion, when your own contributions to the thread have hardly been stellar -

    Joeytheparrot wrote: »
    Really? Where is your evidence?
    Joeytheparrot wrote: »
    None then. Fair enough.


    Is there any chance you might make a point any time soon rather than reminding me of David Norris during the presidential campaign - nipping at everyone else's ankles like a Jack Russell in heat, never making a point but proving himself to be incredibly annoying for the lack of actually having a point.


  • Options
    #109
    PistolsAtDawn
    Registered Users Posts: 335 ✭✭PistolsAtDawn


    red ears wrote: »
    Women are going to be faced with pissed on toilet seats now too because some I'll bred bast**ds won't lift the seat to piss. Men in public toilets have been dealing with that for ages. I'll never understand it. How much of a pig do you have to be to piss on a bowl other people will need to sit on. It's not hard to lift it.

    How to use a bathroom like a man:

    Sh1t and P1ss on the seat and also on the floor around the base of the bowl (where the next guys feet will be) then wipe your ass with tissue and smear streaks of sh1t all over the cubicle walls, making sure to destroy the toilet handle in the process. Discard the dirty tissue all over the floor. Finally, wait until the bathroom falls silent before quickly vacating the area.


  • Options
    #110
    ThinkProgress
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,634 ✭✭✭ThinkProgress


    All this talk of segregated hetero/homo toilets.... but what about Trisexuals??

    Trisexual \ˈtrī-sek-sh(ə-)wəl \ A person who has absolutely no sexual preference and readily partakes in all forms of sexual perversion. The "tri" of course is the fact that a trisexual's attraction (although gender blind) ranges from human, animal, or inanimate object. Live, dead, or grotesquely disfigured/unattractive --it doesn't matter in the eyes of a trisexual. They have an "If it feels good --do it" philosophy when it comes to fulfilling their sexual needs.

    http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Trisexual

    We don't want anyone exiting a toilet stall, only to be unceremoniously greeted by someone humping a hand dryer...

    I think it would be best if we had 6 separate toilet facilities in all locations!


  • Options
    #111
    Naos
    Registered Users Posts: 4,728 ✭✭✭Naos


    seamus wrote: »
    Women's toilets are usually way messier than men's.
    neverever1 wrote: »
    How do you know?

    Ask anyone who has ever worked in a bar which is messier.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #112
    D14Rugby
    Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    Just a quick question. I'm completely fine with gender neutral toilets but I'd assume they're leaving some toilet as male/female only? Only while I'm fine about them I'm sure many people aren't and would like to just use the male/female ones.

    But on the discussion about them there are a few flaws I can see. (mostly male centric as I'm one so that's more my area of concern in a selfish way, sorry :) ).
    1. They're going to be very messy as mens and womens toilet are currently messy by themselves but in different ways so combined God knows how messy it'll be.
    2. Lots of men are not going to be happy with the longer q's
    3. I know some lads are uncomfortable using urinals as is so I'm sure a lot of men won't be comfortable using them with women unless the layout is well designed.
    There's probably more but I can't think of any right now.
    Overall I really don't care if they have them or not but ideally in places like colleges, schools, arenas I would prefer if they had male/female/neutral options so everyone's happy


  • Options
    #113
    ceadaoin.
    Registered Users Posts: 8,111 ✭✭✭ceadaoin.


    A university in Canada brought in gender neutral facilities but ended up having to reduce them due to a number of incidents of women being filmed over the cubicle walls.

    Now I know people will say that men who want to spy on women in bathrooms will do it anyway but in segregated facilities a man entering can be challenged if seen. Gender neutral facilities remove that protection


  • Options
    #114
    JayRoc
    Registered Users Posts: 1,578 ✭✭✭JayRoc


    I'm a bit confused by this.

    Are they talking about having a lockable, single-occupant room similar to a disabled toilet, in addition to the Gents and Ladies, that anyone can use?

    Don't see the big deal TBH, if that's the case.

    But if they're talking about amalgamating existing Ladies and Gents into one big bathroom where lads use the urinals and women wander past them to get to the cubicles, I can see a lot of people being uncomfortable with that.


  • Options
    #115
    Christy42
    Registered Users Posts: 7,868 ✭✭✭Christy42


    ceadaoin. wrote: »
    A university in Canada brought in gender neutral facilities but ended up having to reduce them due to a number of incidents of women being filmed over the cubicle walls.

    Now I know people will say that men who want to spy on women in bathrooms will do not anyway but in segregated facilities a man entering can be challenged if seen. Gender neutral facilities remove that protection

    Surely an extra foot of cubicle would solve that. Never understood why they didn't go to the roof anyway. Plus harsh sentences on anyone caught doing that. It is only a tiny minority of men who are absolute scum like that.

    Plus any man going into the wrong bathroom now can feign a mistake.

    However it seems safer to have men and women's as well which is what they are doing.

    I would also point out that any suggestion of things like these under (probably misnamed) rape culture (I get it is not rape but it is what they mean when they say the phrase) is normally shouted down...


  • Options
    #116
    mzungu
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,306 Mod ✭✭✭✭mzungu


    professore wrote: »
    Were these toilets with urinals and multiple cubicles? Or single toilets? Two completely different things.
    Multiple separate toilets and single toilets. I am not aware of any with urinals, but I am open to correction on that. As far as I can gather (information in the OP link is a bit thin on the ground) only a select few toilets in GMIT will be gender neutral, so presumably if somebody wishes to use the urinal there will be other toilets to use. That is how the ones in Trinity work AFAIK (again, open to correction on that). If anybody was not comfortable using the gender neutral bathrooms, then they can still go to the other bathrooms.


  • Options
    #117
    D14Rugby
    Registered Users Posts: 2,815 ✭✭✭D14Rugby


    JayRoc wrote: »
    I'm a bit confused by this.

    Are they talking about having a lockable, single-occupant room similar to a disabled toilet, in addition to the Gents and Ladies, that anyone can use?

    Don't see the big deal TBH, if that's the case.

    But if they're talking about amalgamating existing Ladies and Gents into one big bathroom where lads use the urinals and women wander past them to get to the cubicles, I can see a lot of people being uncomfortable with that.

    That's what I'm asking, putting myself in the shoes of a person in college, if I'm using the urinal I'd be alright enough talking to some lad on my course about a lecture or something but if some lass came over and joined the conversation I don't think I'd be alright with that which is a problem I can see arising


  • Options
    #118
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    Christy42 wrote: »
    How much do you think a few loos cost to install? .

    5, maybe 10 grand or more, assuming you've already got the room for it and not having to build anything.


  • Options
    #119
    ligerdub
    Registered Users Posts: 2,584 ✭✭✭ligerdub


    The way I see it comes down to a few scenarios:

    1. Standard male toilets with urinals and cubicles; standard female toilets with cubicles only; gender neutral toilet (single unit), effectively a disabled toilet by another name.

    Outcome: Fine.

    2. Standard male toilets with urinals and cubicles; standard female toilets with cubicles only; gender neutral toilet (multi-unit) either cubicles only or cubicles and urinals.

    Outcome: Realistically only women will be allowed used this, not by the rules of course, but an unspoken understanding that if you're a standard male you won't go in, nor would you be welcome. Essentially another toilet for the women. If you're a man you'll be expected to "use your own". No chance will anything else be accepted.

    3. Unisex toilets only - doesn't matter the cubicles only or otherwise, this would be problematic.

    Personal opinion: Option 1 is the only way that it works.


  • Options
    #120
    The_Valeyard
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,452 ✭✭✭✭The_Valeyard


    We can keep it simple

    Door one has picture of a penis

    Door two has picture of a vagina


    Whichever matches your bodily part, you use. Regardless of how you look, colour, religion, dress, or favourite pasta.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #121
    One eyed Jack
    Registered Users Posts: 23,679 ✭✭✭✭One eyed Jack


    There are a few people who are massively inflating this issue to be more significant than it actually is, on the assumption that the majority of people who are transgender would actually want this sort of attention.

    The fact is that as they have done for centuries before now, people who are transgender shall continue to use whatever bathroom they want without making a fuss about it or wanting to draw attention to themselves, and these new facilities will be unlikely to see all that much use.

    I couldn't care less that they're being built, but claiming that they're being built for other peoples comfort? That's where I would be given to thinking they were talking utter nonsense.


Advertisement