Shared, genderless restrooms

[Westcoastwild]

Well, I should hope not. Do women often go peeking through the cracks?

Nope. But kids do often stick their head under the door!

The public restroom stalls are so short at pike place market that unless you're a dwarf, you can see right over. It's ridiculous. I don't know why American restrooms have those kind of stalls.

 

[BrianL]

In most places, the gaps are so wide you can't help but see. Unless you're staring at the floor the entire time you're in the restroom, you're going to "peek". ETA: Are you seeing private things you shouldn't? Not usually, but think about what you can see looking through a crack in the wall. Enough to make it uncomfortable.

This is not my experience at all. I find that most restrooms I am in have relatively small cracks and nobody would really see in unless they looked straight at them. Now, I always assumed that the ladies' room used the same construction materials as the men's room in any given establishment, but I since I cannot confirm this, I will recuse myself from from the debate.

 

[Little T]

This is not my experience at all. I find that most restrooms I am in have relatively small cracks and nobody would really see in unless they looked straight at them. Now, I always assumed that the ladies' room used the same construction materials as the men's room in any given establishment, but I since I cannot confirm this, I will recuse myself from from the debate.

@BrianL I am in the same boat as you but on the opposite side of things. I have never been in a guys bathroom. Let me ask you a question. Do the urinals have a stall or some other blockade so you can't see the other guy peeing next to you, I don't think so from stories I have heard from boys? Also have you ever turned your head and peeked at the person next to you or seen the guy next to you doing so? I know it has happened because many of my boy friends have spoken about it. I imagine it even happens with adults. I can tell you in the girls room the cracks in the stalls all it takes is a quick turn of the head and glance through the crack and you can see what you want to see. It don't make sense why this isn't fixed.

 

[Westcoastwild]

@BrianL I am in the same boat as you but on the opposite side of things. I have never been in a guys bathroom. Let me ask you a question. Do the urinals have a stall or some other blockade so you can't see the other guy peeing next to you, I don't think so from stories I have heard from boys? Also have you ever turned your head and peeked at the person next to you or seen the guy next to you doing so? I know it has happened because many of my boy friends have spoken about it. I imagine it even happens with adults. I can tell you in the girls room the cracks in the stalls all it takes is a quick turn of the head and glance through the crack and you can see what you want to see. It don't make sense why this isn't fixed.

The point is though... while I agree, it should be fixed, I don't think it's a huge issue. Most adults don't WANT to see. We know what naked people look like . Most people don't look and if they really do care about being seen, it isn't that hard to find a place without stalls. Starbucks, for example, never has stalls. But if I need to use the bathroom badly enough, I just don't care. I've used men's restrooms when there is a 45 minute line at the woman's.

I don't like urinals and wouldn't want a mixed gender bathroom with them, but that's more a hygiene issue than a concern that I'll see something.

 

[Little T]

The point is though... while I agree, it should be fixed, I don't think it's a huge issue. Most adults don't WANT to see. We know what naked people look like . Most people don't look and if they really do care about being seen, it isn't that hard to find a place without stalls. Starbucks, for example, never has stalls. But if I need to use the bathroom badly enough, I just don't care. I've used men's restrooms when there is a 45 minute line at the woman's.

I don't like urinals and wouldn't want a mixed gender bathroom with them, but that's more a hygiene issue than a concern that I'll see something.

I guess it is more a kid thing and stupid 13 year old boys being well.... stupid. The hygiene is another issue as well as you know girls have to tend to other things in the bathrooms that may be an emergency and I definitely don't want guys in the bathroom then even if I am in a stall.

 

[BrianL]

@BrianL I am in the same boat as you but on the opposite side of things. I have never been in a guys bathroom. Let me ask you a question. Do the urinals have a stall or some other blockade so you can't see the other guy peeing next to you, I don't think so from stories I have heard from boys? Also have you ever turned your head and peeked at the person next to you or seen the guy next to you doing so? I know it has happened because many of my boy friends have spoken about it. I imagine it even happens with adults. I can tell you in the girls room the cracks in the stalls all it takes is a quick turn of the head and glance through the crack and you can see what you want to see. It don't make sense why this isn't fixed.

It depends on the restroom. Most have little hanging wall dividers, but not all of them. Some have the dreaded "trough" as mentioned earlier in this thread, meaning that it is one long basin with no dividers. Still, I have almost never accidentally seen anybody's parts and I have certainly never turned my head on purpose to look.

Men's rooms have certain etiquette. Eyes forward and no talking. You can maybe say something like "good morning" at the sink, but never while taking care of business. Most men abide by these rules. Some don't, but they are violating man-code and it is generally frowned upon.

 

[Little T]

It depends on the restroom. Most have little hanging wall dividers, but not all of them. Some have the dreaded "trough" as mentioned earlier in this thread, meaning that it is one long basin with no dividers. Still, I have almost never accidentally seen anybody's parts and I have certainly never turned my head on purpose to look.

Men's rooms have certain etiquette. Eyes forward and no talking. You can maybe say something like "good morning" at the sink, but never while taking care of business. Most men abide by these rules. Some don't, but they are violating man-code and it is generally frowned upon.

That is good to know. At least what I am hearing for my not so mature early teen guy friends isn't the case once they get older.

 

[mmouse37]

To add to what bcla said, I've read that that in some countries plumbing is not robust enough for toilet paper, so it would be thrown in a trash can and not down the toilet. Interestingly, I haven't seen the tampon sign at all in Japan but the other two are in every single public restroom. But Chinese tourism apparently exploded in Japan several years ago, and now has spread to Europe. In what country have you seen that sign the most?

I was recently in Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany. I believe that sign was in either Slovakia or Austria. Can't remember. I was on an ABD Danube River Cruise in July.

MJ

 

[bcla]

It depends on the restroom. Most have little hanging wall dividers, but not all of them. Some have the dreaded "trough" as mentioned earlier in this thread, meaning that it is one long basin with no dividers. Still, I have almost never accidentally seen anybody's parts and I have certainly never turned my head on purpose to look.

Men's rooms have certain etiquette. Eyes forward and no talking. You can maybe say something like "good morning" at the sink, but never while taking care of business. Most men abide by these rules. Some don't, but they are violating man-code and it is generally frowned upon.

The ones in the restroom at the de Young Museum had stubby little dividers that were more suggestions to "stay in your lane". I've used some where the dividers are much wider and higher, and do more to physically block wandering eyes.

The one thing to keep the eyes straight is newspapers placed in front of the urinals. I think Chili's still does that. At stadiums they often had advertising on the wall where the urinals are mounted. The weirdest thing I've heard of are interactive games where sensors monitor where the pee is going and that affects something on a video screen.

http://www.captive-media.co.uk

Some of the names of the games are obvious puns. "Wee the People" gives the opportunity to throw tomatoes at images of politicians. I would have thought that peeing on them would have been more appropriate. They have a soccer game called "Pee-nalty Shoot-out". The car racing game is "XStream Racer".

 

[bcla]

To add to what bcla said, I've read that that in some countries plumbing is not robust enough for toilet paper, so it would be thrown in a trash can and not down the toilet. Interestingly, I haven't seen the tampon sign at all in Japan but the other two are in every single public restroom. But Chinese tourism apparently exploded in Japan several years ago, and now has spread to Europe. In what country have you seen that sign the most?

Squat toilets are supposed to be somewhat common in Japan. However, it's also the land of the electronic bidet toilet.

I didn't quite get what the deal was with Chinese tourists though. I've been to China several times on vacation, and every hotel I've stayed at had Western style toilets. I've been a guest at personal residences, and the kind of toilets we're used to are pretty common. I would have thought that most people in China would have had enough experience with them that they'd know how to use them. Or perhaps there are those who stand on porcelain toilets even in China:

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

To me the issue described in the original post is the triangle symbol..I've got no idea what that is supposed to mean. If it was something that we were all familar with it wouldn't be as much of an issue. The signs where they show a person (half male, half female) are quite clear what they mean--but a triangle yeah not to me.

 

[bcla]

To me the issue described in the original post is the triangle symbol..I've got no idea what that is supposed to mean. If it was something that we were all familar with it wouldn't be as much of an issue. The signs where they show a person (half male, half female) are quite clear what they mean--but a triangle yeah not to me.

While the sign was confusing, the idea of a communal restroom for everyone at a public place was really what I was getting at. That, and the presence of (more or less open) urinals in a room where women were theoretically allowed. Also the flowers immediately told me that something was different.

 

[lifesavacation]

I just came back from Australia and encountered my first mixed-gender bathroom in Sydney. The doors went down to the floor. I've gone into the men's room on occasion when the line for the women's was too long so it wasn't a big deal to me.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

It depends on the restroom. Most have little hanging wall dividers, but not all of them. Some have the dreaded "trough" as mentioned earlier in this thread, meaning that it is one long basin with no dividers. Still, I have almost never accidentally seen anybody's parts and I have certainly never turned my head on purpose to look.

Men's rooms have certain etiquette. Eyes forward and no talking. You can maybe say something like "good morning" at the sink, but never while taking care of business. Most men abide by these rules. Some don't, but they are violating man-code and it is generally frowned upon.

Yes, the divider is optional, but there's also a variety of shapes to urinals. The bowl style is basically an elevated toilet in shape & when used without dividers provides zero privacy. Unless you're already aware of exactly where the urinals are located when you enter the restroom, it's almost a certainty you'll see "something".

 

[disneychrista]

Gotcha, weird as most of our favorite bars the men's room isn't bad, but DW says some of the women's rooms are awful. At one, the floor is always a disaster

Does this bar have more male vs female bartenders? I often wonder if this makes a difference. We tend to have more female employees (only female right now) and while neither restroom is ever too horrible. The men's room is the only one that stinks.

 

[bcla]

Yes, the divider is optional, but there's also a variety of shapes to urinals. The bowl style is basically an elevated toilet in shape & when used without dividers provides zero privacy. Unless you're already aware of exactly where the urinals are located when you enter the restroom, it's almost a certainty you'll see "something".

Every shape, every size.

Heck - most of the Costcos around here have the kind that goes down to the floor, like this one:

I was surprised they were still being made. I remember this type from my school days. I guess the length helps accommodate different heights, and they're less likely to splash back.

For thopse wondering, this is a typical setup. The photo is from a commercial installer, and they say it's at a Costco location:

This one has fairly wide partition, and the stalls to the side are kind of lightweight with small gaps.

Here's a variety of urinal styles. From personal experience some of them aren't so good. There should be a lip that curves back to reduce splashing. A lot of times I see a urinal cake in there which reduces splash back.

 

[Erzengel]

I've never come into contact with all inclusive washrooms yet. Though I think those are the way to go if a company can afford it. Still don't know what's the best solution for those who can't afford it. Do you just use the handicap washrooms? What if you don't have those?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Apparently the white triangle is somehow related to California Title 24 and AB 1732. I'm not sure if the California law specifies what the sign looks like. But that's what websites are calling these signs. I believe they are also single-use bathrooms.

 

[NHdisneylover]

hoping the photo works--if so, this style of open air urinal is totally common and German festivals--see them all the time, at very family freindly places. DH uses them. No one seems all that bothered. I think largely the issue is simply being used to something---give a few years of running into whomever by the sinks or in line and no one will even remember why gender inclusive restrooms were something to argue about.

 

[bcla]

Apparently the white triangle is somehow related to California Title 24 and AB 1732. I'm not sure if the California law specifies what the sign looks like. But that's what websites are calling these signs. I believe they are also single-use bathrooms.

I think that's the origin of the sign (which I didn't understand at the time), but the law only requires it for single-user restrooms.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/...ion=104.&title=&part=15.&chapter=2.&article=5.

ARTICLE 5. Single-User Restrooms [118600- 118600.]

118600.

(a) All single-user toilet facilities in any business establishment, place of public accommodation, or state or local government agency shall be identified as all-gender toilet facilities by signage that complies with Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, and designated for use by no more than one occupant at a time or for family or assisted use.

(b) During any inspection of a business or a place of public accommodation by an inspector, building official, or other local official responsible for code enforcement, the inspector or official may inspect for compliance with this section.

(c) For the purposes of this section, “single-user toilet facility” means a toilet facility with no more than one water closet and one urinal with a locking mechanism controlled by the user.

(d) This section shall become operative on March 1, 2017.​

The reference to Title 24 is for the state's building code. There are several versions out there.

https://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/dsa/bulletins/BU_17-01.pdf

I found the specific code section. So apparently the design is very specific, down to the thickness and width of the circle, although specific colors aren't mentioned. I saw another version that had an addendum that prison/jail bathrooms weren't required to have the 1/4" thickness, so I guess they could use a decal or it could be painted. I mean, it's not like a prisoner would ever thing of ripping off a sign and using it as a weapon.

11B-703.7.2.6.3 Unisex Sanitary Facilities. Unisex sanitary facilities shall be identified by a circle, ¼ inch (6.4 mm) thick and 12 inches (305 mm) in diameter with a ¼ inch (6.4 mm) thick triangle superimposed on the circle and within the 12-inch (305 mm) diameter. The triangle symbol shall contrast with the circle symbol, either light on a dark background or dark on a light background. The circle symbol shall contrast with the door, either light on a dark background or dark on a light background.​