Do we designate washrooms by sex, gender, or sexuality?

[Jamison]

After reading this, you may be surprised how you answer this question.

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2010/09/02/guest-post-go-where-sex-gender-and-toilets/

Cheers.

[Seb]

This is my favorite quote from the comments:

"Ok ..Not to over simplify things here, but what we are looking at is a simple sign to indicate where to pee. ( I really don't care if a "woman" wants to pee in a "men's" room or a "man" wants to pee in the "ladies" room. And yes, I have trans friends.. )

This is just a simple sign. What is the proper answer to the issue of making a sign to indicate the two choices ( and yes i know that some think there are more than 2 genders, but in this world we cant have a bathroom for everyone, so sticking with just 2 covers most of the world)

Keep in mind this sign needs to be understood by folks who either cant read , or those to blinded by a dire need to pee, so it has to rely on a simple visual image. Here we see an attempt at humor I believe, rather than jamming a binary down anyone's throat.

And lets speak to the assumption that men are represented as people, and woman as skirts. Is it possible that the simple pictogram might be showing men in pants, or men without a penis dangling..

I am truly sympathetic to the causes of those of non traditional gender, but this is a silly waste of time, attempting to make a bathroom sign a political statement is pointless. I'm sure that catering to the masses shouldn't be considered by the minority to be an insult, otherwise we would need bathrooms in a million shapes and colors.

.. And by the way, as a short male i personally feel slighted by the height depicted , comparison wise, on these signs. As if i were not a true man for not being as tall as the women depicted.. where is my "short guys piss here" sign !? "

I didn't exactly like the borderline-socially-justicey-bs (you know, making a deal out of nothing not the kind that actually gets things done) feeling I had while reading the article but nevertheless it was a good one and gave me something to think about. Thanks for sharing!

[~RoadToTrista~]

"In this sign, we see that men have torsos, and women have floating, disembodied boobs"

lol!

[Brooke777]

This article made me laugh so hard! I think my coworkers thought I was going crazy. Personally, I prefer the women's room due to the fact that all the ones I have been in are cleaner. But, when I have to pee I don't care if it is a men's or women's room. I also don't care what the sign shows.

[Seb]

See, about the cleaner issue, that's so weird. I've been on both sides of the field. I can't for the life of me find a female bathroom of a Walmart or some other public place where all of the toilets are flushed, there isn't piss on the seats, blood in the bowl and tampons on the floor. It's disgusting, and I don't honestly know how females physically make this much of a mess when all you do is sit on the damn pot.

For men's bathrooms, I find that gas stations usually have piss on the seats or floor but in the Walmarts and other places they're much cleaner....also men spend a significantly less time in the bathroom. They're usually just guilty of bad aim or not flushing a toilet (but geez, the female bathrooms are always so much worse for me...)

[Brooke777]

Eww! That sounds so gross! I have never used a bathroom at a walmart, or any store like that. I assume the men's room is cleaner because they don't use it much. I pretty much only use public restrooms at restaurants or at work. I have not used the women's room at work yet, but I will tomorrow so I will have a comparison. I just know the men's room at work always stinks. The guys spend like a half hour in the stall and the smell makes you want to cut your nose off. It also makes it really hard for me to go since there are only two stalls and the wait is like 20 min.

[Seb]

Yeah I feel like females are just less apt to take a dump in a public restroom--men, on the other hand, generally do not care...so there is always the issue of that. I will say the female bathrooms tend to smell better (but seriously! I thought women liked to be clean and you know, at least they always wash their hands generally...so why not flush the toilet -_-)...Also isn't it just common courtesy to wipe down a seat if you dribble? I think some girls "hover" over the toilet but that just makes it worse... I've just had so much bad experience in female bathrooms. I just prefer the men's. No qualms about being "noisy", no talking, get in get out. Haha easy, like bathrooms SHOULD be.

I also feel for the MtFs because at least with FtMs, guys aren't going to be curious for curiosity's sake, as to not be called gay. I think females might be more apt to speak up, you know the "Are you sure you're in the right bathroom" thing so...all you MtFs out there really have my support with that bit.

[Brooke777]

Yeah, it is a bit of a problem. They will glare at you, and in some places call the police. Luckily in the state I live in it is state law that you use the proper gender restroom congruent with your gender expression. Now that my DL says female, I don't have to worry even when I'm in a different state. From what I can tell, most men don't care who uses the bathroom. They would not care if a woman openly walked in to use the men's room. I have seen it done a lot at games and concerts. The men's room has shorter lines.

[Seb]

Yeah, exactly, all of your points are correct. Women can be really nosy, but like I said I think guys avoid it because, well, they don't want to be caught looking at someone's junk. And to be honest, they don't -care-. Uninformed females have the perception that MtFs or crossdressers are perverts (probably due to our stupid media) so, like you said, I think they're more apt to call someone. But thankfully you live in a place that protects that. And yes, once your legal gender is changed no one can really do anything about it, though it might be embarrassing. The best we can do is pray, pray, pray to pass or that no one is going to give a damn, ha ha.

[Padma]

I don't know whether it's a cultural thing, but so far here in the UK, I've never had anyone bat an eyelid when I've used the women's loos - they just seem to assume that If I'm there, I belong there. The one thing you don't get in women's loos that you do get in men's is bad graffiti .

[Seb]

That's a good point. For some reason there are a lot of strange things in men's bathrooms I never see in women's. Like a cock ring dispenser in a gas station bathroom, because, oh yes, the most appealing place to ever have sex in, ha ha.

But Padma I think no one batting and eye is partially because you pass exceptionally well. In fact, looking at you I presumed you to be a cis woman.

[Padma]

Sweet of you to say that - but you probably wouldn't think so if you saw the 6'3"-ness of me .

[michelle]

Actually from what I have seen in both men's and women's bathrooms is that the women have more privacy when they go to the bathroom, than the men do.  Since I am a women I use the stall in both the men and women's bathrooms.     No one can see my private area in either very easily even if they are peeping toms and look through the crack in the door.   Because of my diabetes and tendinitis in my lower back I am wearing pantie hose all the time in the winter and a pantie girdle to help my back support my over weight stomach.  I am pretty much covered.   When I wash my hands sometimes there is a sink in the hall and sometimes in the common area where all you see are people washing hands.   

The bathroom is not like the changing room at a swimming pool or in a gym where many people get naked and shower.    The women's room has more places to sit sometimes then the men, but unless you are putting on makeup and brushing your hair in the restroom, its go to the bathroom, wash your hands,  check your make up and leave.   Its in the men's room at the urinals where men stand where private parts are exposed.   I have always been shy when I tried to be a male and it took me the longest time to go to the bathroom.

In one seater bathrooms where you are a lone,  I just get subconscience because I wonder if people see a lady going into the men's room or a man going in to the women's room.   But I have used either one.   I try not to use the rest room at a McDonald's or other similar fast food place because of the traffic in and out and I feel for me its a no win situation.

I feel the most comfortable in the his/her rest rooms that are popping up here and there.   Even Walmart has one of these.   

I would rather use the women's rest room because I am a women.    But since many non trans women do not except us transgender females as women it poses a problem.

As far as worrying about people lusting after you in the rest room with all of variety of sexual lusts people have chances are that sooner or later no matter what your sexual orientation is someone is going to get turned on by looking at you.   There is just more to see in the men's room from my experience.

Maybe bathrooms should be assigned by our sexual attractions.   One restroom for people attracted to the female body and one for those attracted to the male body.  Thenone rest room for those attracted to both.   


Shower rooms pose a different problem because people get naked in them to shower.

I wonder if nudist colonies have these problems.

[AlexD]

This article reminds me of a baffling set of bathroom signs I came across in a restaurant when I was a child: "Elton John" and "Olivia Newton John". Being a kid I not only had no idea who these people were, I didn't even know what gender the names were! I ended up standing outside the loos for 15 minutes, clutching myself, until finally giving up and peeing in the bushes outside. :p

[aleon515]

Everything you've ever wanted to know about bathroom signs. BTW, my favorite was the two signs showing people who looked in distress crossing their legs.


BTW, when women's rooms are a mess it is NOT because they are sitting.
I think there is a campaign somewhere (Singapore) where they are trying to get men to sit down. Haha try and get that to happen. Though knowing about their laws, they could put cameras in there and take pictures.

--Jay