Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hello,
I went to a a restaurant in the Village in NYC. Like most places they have bathrooms lol I would say that how they have the bathroom arranged is very interesting and would probably work in most places. I know bathroom debates are always heated, but I do not intend to start a war here. That being said, how the bathroom was situated.

You go down the stairs and make a right. On the right hand side there is a hallway sized opening that goes back probably 3 ft or so. No bathroom gender markers. After that it opens up to a room that has a bunch of sinks to wash your hands on one side and a bunch of stalls on the opposite side that have doors that go all the way from the floor to the ceiling. The wall that would separate this room from everything else has slits in it so it really doesn't feel like a secluded bathroom area. It really didn't give off a typical traditional bathroom vibe. And that's the bathroom or area with bathroom stalls and sinks  :laugh: I just found it interesting that there wasn't any indication of who should use what stall. It was just intuitive. Like ok here is a stall that is open. I have to go to the bathroom. I'll go in this one. Men and women wait in the same line to go into stalls and no one complains because it's just one huge room filled with private stalls. I think a lot of places can learn from this example although it may not fit in some places. IDK. Seems like a good idea to me :) Now that I think of it, It sounds a lot like a bunch of indoor porta potties!

-Iliana

Yes. I would like to see more bathrooms like this. If you don't mind may I ask where this bathroom was?

that should be the standard for public restrooms.  I have said that in different threads on this site.  It makes a lot of sense.

I've been to bathrooms like that before, and they made me feel very uncomfortable.  I didn't like it at all.  Coming out of a stall at the same time as a man coming out of the stall next to me?  Very awkward.  Washing my hands at a sink while another man is there at the same time?  Weird.  Fixing my makeup at the mirror with other men staring at me while doing this?  No thanks!

Thanks for sharing!

I've been to restrooms here in Oregon, McMinnville where there are two. Both say rest room only where only one person may use one at a time. Been there several times when they are busy and every time when they are busy there is never a line, longest I've waited, less than five minutes.

Every new train station in Sydney has unisex bathrooms now. A row of about 15 private rooms with a toilet, mirror, basin, hand dryer, and sanitary disposal.


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that's my opinion too. No thanks. I wouldn't use that bathroom. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: EmilyMK03 on December 01, 2016, 12:49:05 AM
I've been to bathrooms like that before, and they made me feel very uncomfortable.  I didn't like it at all.  Coming out of a stall at the same time as a man coming out of the stall next to me?  Very awkward.  Washing my hands at a sink while another man is there at the same time?  Weird.  Fixing my makeup at the mirror with other men staring at me while doing this?  No thanks!

I don't like it. Its probably sort of ok if really all you want to do is to go and pee. Even then I probably would prefer to have the sink and mirror inside  the private stall. If you want to do some girl talk or brush up makeup - its awkward. For a train station maybe its ok, as a compromise solution. In a bar or cafe or club - I would hate it.

Quote from: karenpayneoregon on December 01, 2016, 04:49:32 AM
I've been to restrooms here in Oregon, ....

I believe there are some states in the US (California for one - i think) that individual/single-person bathrooms are, by law, to be marked as gender neutral or no gender marking at all.

Quote from: Denise on December 01, 2016, 12:18:41 PM
I believe there are some states in the US (California for one - i think) that individual/single-person bathrooms are, by law, to be marked as gender neutral or no gender marking at all.

As of March 1, 2017 this will be the law in California:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1732

QuoteSECTION 1. Article 5 (commencing with Section 118600) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 15 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
Article  5. Single-User Restrooms
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.

Quote from: alienbodybuilder on November 30, 2016, 04:34:19 PM
Yes. I would like to see more bathrooms like this. If you don't mind may I ask where this bathroom was?

I am sorry, but it was a few months ago so I do not remember the name. I went with some friends so I will see if any of them remember :)

Quote from: EmilyMK03 on December 01, 2016, 12:49:05 AM
I've been to bathrooms like that before, and they made me feel very uncomfortable.  I didn't like it at all.  Coming out of a stall at the same time as a man coming out of the stall next to me?  Very awkward.  Washing my hands at a sink while another man is there at the same time?  Weird.  Fixing my makeup at the mirror with other men staring at me while doing this?  No thanks!

Yeah I guess fixing my makeup at a mirror with a guy right next to me would be kind of weird lol The others wouldn't bother me though :) But as with most things people have their different comfort levels and that's ok.

Quote from: Iliana.Found on December 02, 2016, 08:30:11 AM
Yeah I guess fixing my makeup at a mirror with a guy right next to me would be kind of weird lol The others wouldn't bother me though :) But as with most things people have their different comfort levels and that's ok.

Well it is ok, if those are also considered. Putting up unisex group bathrooms like that would proabably make more people unconfortable because of their individual comfort levels than it would make people more comfortable. So maybe it makes sense to find a solution for those wanting unisex bathrooms that does not make so many women uncomfortable (I assume men are less sensitive there, they do stand up in line next to each other exposing their genitals after all)

Something that also does not meet my personal comfort level is the smell of male toilets - they smell very different from womens toilets. I do not like that at all. And many unisex toilets presently just have regular toilets in them - so men stand up peeing and trying to aim for the bowl, which never ever works properly - yuk. The alternative I have seen is to put pissoirs in the stalls next to the bowl - the worst example of that is port-a-pottys - when I sit down on these, I have the pissoir at about the height of my face - not comfortable at all!
The only option so far that I can accept is to have pissoirs in one room - for all the men who just want to pee - and have regular stalls with individual mirror and sink and all of this for women and men who need to take a dump alike. Then at least it is ok, even though it lacks the opportunity to have women-only conversations in a shared room.

Thats another thing I dislike about the proposed end of women-only restrooms. What do you think is the reason why women often "go together" to the bathroom? Its almost a classic meme, right? Well, certainly it is not to hold hands while peeing, it is to talk between women. About the guys they are dating and who are sitting at the table in that bar, about how one of them finds the guy at the table next to them cute and wants to think what her BFF thinks about him. Or 1000 other topics between women that men are not supposed to hear. Heck even asking for a tampon is something that is awkward when there are men around, right? lol

Quote from: anjaq on December 03, 2016, 05:10:56 AM


Thats another thing I dislike about the proposed end of women-only restrooms. What do you think is the reason why women often "go together" to the bathroom? Its almost a classic meme, right? Well, certainly it is not to hold hands while peeing, it is to talk between women. About the guys they are dating and who are sitting at the table in that bar, about how one of them finds the guy at the table next to them cute and wants to think what her BFF thinks about him. Or 1000 other topics between women that men are not supposed to hear. Heck even asking for a tampon is something that is awkward when there are men around, right? lol

While being able to to talk somewhat privately is a reason,  another reason is for safety. 

Quote from: anjaq on December 03, 2016, 05:03:18 AM
Well it is ok, if those are also considered. Putting up unisex group bathrooms like that would proabably make more people unconfortable because of their individual comfort levels than it would make people more comfortable. So maybe it makes sense to find a solution for those wanting unisex bathrooms that does not make so many women uncomfortable (I assume men are less sensitive there, they do stand up in line next to each other exposing their genitals after all)

I was always uncomfortable standing next to another guy at a urinal.  Once I decided to pee sitting down I never again used a urinal or even stood under any conditions.  Sitting has become so natural for me that I no longer even think about standing.  It is also nice to have the privacy of a closed stall.

Quote from: Stevie on December 03, 2016, 11:36:55 AM
While being able to to talk somewhat privately is a reason,  another reason is for safety.

Your ability to have a private conversation with another woman would be lessened.  However, there would be the necessary stall privacy and safety would be increased due to having a greater number of people in the area (room) at any time.

Not necessarily. Great numbers don't equal greater safety. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: mac1 on December 03, 2016, 08:09:44 PM
Your ability to have a private conversation with another woman would be lessened.  However, there would be the necessary stall privacy and safety would be increased due to having a greater number of people in the area (room) at any time.

I enjoy female only restrooms also because they are having a different "vibe". Ok, not sur ehow manyof you do experience this, it probably depends on a lot of things - location, culture, "passing", self confidence,... but when I am around other women there are usually a lot of smiles and assuring looks exchanged - this does not happen so much when there are men around. I do like that feeling. I think privacy from men is something that is a good thing to have occasionally and there are little other places left than the bathrooms and locker rooms now. In history , there were always women-only spaces of some sorts, usually much nicer than next to the latrines. I think it is something that women and men do like - to have a space where they can be around people with their own gender - maybe unisex bathrooms would be not so much opposed if we had any other rooms like that.

Quote from: mac1 on December 03, 2016, 08:09:44 PMsafety would be increased due to having a greater number of people in the area (room) at any time.

I would feel very unsafe if I happened to be the only woman in there with half a dozen men.  I am going to stick with single-user or women's washrooms if I have the choice.

Men tend to be alot sloppier about peeing. There is more spillage which results in a strong odor. But if there are great bathroom attendants its no problem. I tend to note that many night clubs have gender neutral bathrooms. And I see alot of of sexual and cocaine or other activity.

I'm not commenting and can wait. Right now I prefer gender specific bathrooms.

Quote from: warlockmaker on December 04, 2016, 11:33:44 PM
Men tend to be alot sloppier about peeing. There is more spillage which results in a strong odor. ..................

That is not always true.  My wife frequently tells me about problems which she encounters in the women's bathroom.  She finds pee on the seat and large puddles of pee on the floor.  Also, frequent improper disposal of female products results in an unpleasant odor and even plugged toilets.  Both women and men can be pigs.

Sadly your right in that case. To many times I have gone in the woman's bathroom and you could smell that someone left one of those opened resulting in an order you don't forget. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: mac1 on December 05, 2016, 09:57:20 AM
That is not always true.  My wife frequently tells me about problems which she encounters in the women's bathroom.  She finds pee on the seat and large puddles of pee on the floor.  Also, frequent improper disposal of female products results in an unpleasant odor and even plugged toilets.  Both women and men can be pigs.

I'wondering if living in China, Japan and now Bangkok if the Asians are more particular about  cleanliness.  The male bathrooms tend to have only minor odors from the urinals. From shaking off the excess urine and spillage. The female bathrooms are very clean.Maybe in USA there may be a segment of the population thst are not into hygene. I remember that the NYC bathrooms wete not as clean and did have strong odors.

We in Asia have had a few serious flu scares namely , Bird flu and also SARs which had a high fatality rate. We in Asia as a result are forced to be much cleaner. I noticed a French lady with a cough without a mouth mask.  In Asia if you have a cough or cold you wear this or you will have a people remind you. This hygenic attitude extends to bathroom cleanliness. Also, we live in more cramped spaces which require us to be hygenic and clean.

Quote from: Mariah on December 01, 2016, 06:37:08 AM
that's my opinion too. No thanks. I wouldn't use that bathroom. Hugs
Mariah

I third this

I've seen more of those types of facilities in Europe and the UK ( i seem to remember Heathrow airport had at least one). I would support more such facilities.

I was in Korea for 2 weeks and I thought while the restrooms were more clean in some sense, it was probably mostly due to having more personnel cleaning it up - in Europe it seems cleaning personnel is too expensive, so often they only clean once a day or once every other day On the other hand I saw this in Korea, they have these toilets that are basically holes in the ground . so you are supposed to squat down - I guess in some ways this is more hygienic, but also it is kind of odd. Another thing I noticed was that they had open wastebins in the restrooms and you were supposed to dump the used toilet paper in them, into a pile with the used paper of other people - I found this disgusting. But apparently they have a problem there with pipes getting clogged with the toilet paper