July 9, 2022
The UK government says all new public buildings in England must have separate toilets for men and women.
“It is very important that women feel safe and comfortable when using public facilities and that their needs are respected,” said Kemi Badenoch, the UK government’s equality minister.
“It’s common sense to make sure men and women have separate toilets at the same time and place.”
image source,EPA
Gender neutral toilets welcome users to choose which toilet to use according to their gender identity
Controversy over ‘gender neutral’ toilets
The British government said the increasing number of “gender-neutral” toilets was leaving women feeling “unfairly disadvantaged” and increasing their queue times.
But trans rights groups have defended gender-neutral toilets, saying gender-neutral toilets protect trans people from discrimination.
Like others who don’t follow the gender dichotomy, trans people face the challenge of being harassed when using male or female toilets, trans rights groups say.
nuances
When government officials announced the above policy, they also emphasized the difference between gender-neutral toilets and gender-neutral toilets. The former is a toilet with several cubicles, but users share queuing and hand-washing facilities, while the latter is completely independent (with hand-washing facilities included). Compartments, both men and women can use.
The government has stated that gender-neutral toilets should be provided in new public buildings if there is enough space, but gender-neutral toilets cannot be installed at the expense of women’s toilet space.
Officials said the changes, proposed last year, guaranteed women’s right to use “appropriate facilities”, some of whom may need to use toilet facilities more often because of pregnancy or biological reasons.
The new policy will also require changes to relevant building codes and guidance to be implemented, and a technical consultation will be launched this fall to review how to improve gender-neutral and accessible toilets.
