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Two City Hall restrooms go gender free
By adamg on Thu, 06/11/2015 - 2:06pm
Mayor Walsh today unveiled two "gender-neutral" restrooms at City Hall with markings that replace the "Men" and "Women" signs that once hung on the doors.
In a statement, the mayor said:
Gender neutral bathrooms benefit a variety of individuals who are not comfortable when accessing gender-specific bathrooms. Providing access to a private, non-gendered stall can reduce or eliminate this negative experience. Gender neutral bathrooms also benefit members of the disabled community or others who have personal attendants of a different gender. Parents or guardians with children of a different gender can also experience misunderstanding when accessing gender-specific bathrooms.
This change will reduce and eliminate these unpleasant experiences, creating a positive effect for employees and visitors of City Hall.
The restrooms are on the fifth floor, just past the elevators and in front of the entrance to the mayor's office. Although large, both are designed for one person at a time.
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Comments
I believe they're called
Restrooms, and everyone has a gender. You either have two XX chromosomes or an X and a Y.
I believe you're confusing genetics with gender
But that's OK, you can use one of the restrooms as well.
No I'm right
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_sex-determination_system
I believe they teach this in 4th grade.
Yes, they teach genetics and sex in 4th grade
But this is a gender issue. It's not the same.
I guess one can just
I guess one can just reference any wikipedia page now and assume they're right?
The right one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_and_gender_distinction
The ones that I SAY must be right:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounded_rationality; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor
They teach the simple version in 4th grade
The complicated version is that gender is NOT genetically determined.
Look up "intersex" "turner's syndrome" "kleinfelter syndrome" "androgen insensitivity syndrome".
There were XY genetic athletes competing as women in the last olympics - they were women for all important purposes, but genetically men insensitive to their own testosterone.
And that doesn't even get into the whole issue of gender expression!
No you're wrong
XX, XY, XXY, XYY...there are more than two flavors of ice cream at this stand.
It's fairer to say the poster
It's fairer to say the poster is "equating" genetics with gender, which isn't totally oppressive and unreasonable in the context of restrooms.
Using the word "confusing" is as kind of like when users reply to posts with "Wrong!"
Well, it kind of is
In an age when not everybody with XX chromosome identifies as a woman or with XY as a man.
It's completely true that
It's completely true that this is where society is shifting, but "confused" is still a mean-spirited word for it.
For comparison, there are still many reasonable people who define marriage as between a man and a woman. If that represents a miniscule group of people, then okay, call them outliers and fling labels at them. But when it represents a whole class of of people, it's not something to casually dismiss.
I don't think it very
I don't think it very "reasonable" for someone to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
And I will happily, in a heartbeat, "casually dismiss" anyone going around attempting to oppress another group of people.
What's reasonable and what's not
It's perfectly reasonable for you to define your marriage as between a man and a woman.
It's completely unreasonable for you to so define anyone else's marriage.
Nope, you're missing some configurations
Just because you only got the most basic of genetics in your education does not mean those are the only options.
Under your rule, which bathroom should someone with XXY use?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klinefelter_syndrome
How about with a single X?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_syndrome
XYY?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XYY_syndrome
And then there's XXX, XXXX, and XXXXX:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_X_syndrome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48,_XXXX
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49,_XXXXX
Are you planning to run genetics tests before people are allowed to enter the bathroom?
It's a single stall bathroom. What possible difference could it make to you personally who uses it?
Here's a head spinner for you: I am a woman both in presentation and your narrow definition. And always have been. But sometimes when I need a public restroom and the W restroom is occupied and the M (single occupant) restroom is not, I will use the M option. If both restrooms had been labeled simply as Restroom, we could achieve much greater throughput and spend less time waiting. Like on an airplane.
I do that too.
I've never understood why single-stall bathrooms specify a gender.
Have you ever had your DNA checked?
If you haven't looked at your DNA, how do you know what gender you are?
Unobjectionalbe
No matter how you feel about the concept of gender-neutral bathrooms or the politics surrounding the concept, there is no reason whatsoever that a single-occupancy restroom should be gender-specific.
I have long wondered why
I have long wondered why single bathrooms are ever gendered, though it makes more sense if you have a pair of restrooms and one includes a urinal and the other does not, but often times the pair of gendered restrooms are identical.
As somebody who has used one of those restrooms ...
Yeah, the one I've used has both a urinal and a toilet. It's also a very odd room: It's relatively narrow but really long - it's a bit of a hike from the toilet to the sink (or vice versa). City Hall is just such a weird place (note: to get to the restrooms, you get on an elevator on the third floor, then take it one floor up to, of course, the fifth floor).
Code
I believe it's in the Plumbing Code. Or it falls under the jurisdiction of the Authority Having Jurisdiction - the local plumbing inspector ... or State plumbing inspector if the project is a State owned one.
Some inspectors have decided opinions on signage.
oink
Because Men are messy and always miss and women don't want to put up with it? :-)
To be honest?
A friend of mine ran a coffee shop with gender neutral restrooms and he said that guys are apparently a lot neater when they share with women.
Women hover
It's really a thing. They don't want to touch the seat so they hover over it and get piss all over the place. Source: when I have to go I'll use whatever bathroom's free and I've learned over the years to wipe the seat first when I'm in the "ladies" room.
I disagree. Men's bathrooms
I disagree. Men's bathrooms are usually filthier. Aiming seems to be an issue as is cleaning up after oneself. Furthermore, and sadly, many of the places I've worked have had Playboys and Hustlers left behind in them for you know what purpose... as a woman I find that nasty. Keep it at home boys. If you have a unit, then you use the unit specific bathroom. Thanks!
It's a public restroom
Have yet to see a copy of any publication in the former men's room.
As a woman, you really have
As a woman, you really have that much experience in mens public restrooms?
Of course not. Talk to any janitor, and theyll tell you mens bathrooms are ALWAYS cleaner. When men use a toilet, we sit out asses done, none of that hovering crap that women love, which results in pee everywhere,
Note sure how you got so much
Note sure how you got so much experience in women's restrooms either, but as a man, I will confess that I get nowhere near the target. Oftentimes I am not even in the stall. I take sort of a pollock-esque approach. Talk to any janitor. They will tell you that I am no longer allowed near the facilities.
About time
In politics, polls are frequently conducted with three choices: Yes ___, No ___, Unsure ___, so, its long overdue that a bathroom serve people much like those who have not registered with a designated political party.
Hooray for progress!
As mentioned above, it makes no sense for a one-person bathroom to have W or M on it.
I've been supporting this idea since at least 2009. Join my Facebook group! (Only 2 members.)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/125644178532/
Sounds like your standard uni
Sounds like your standard uni-sex bathrooms only with a pat on the back political spin to make them seem like something new.
What's new ...
Is that one no longer says "Men" and the other no longer says "Women."
Anyone remember Mississippi's in Kenmore?
One restroom was labeled "humans" and the other one was labeled "people".
Remember it well
Indeed was scrolling through the posts to see if anyone had already referenced Mississippis.
Great sandwiches, and practical signage.
Anyone remember Pat from SN?
Pretty sure there was an episode where coworkers waited to see which bathroom "Pat" chose.
The mayor of Houston, TX checks in
But the pressing question is
How many points does our bid gain with the IOC because of this?
No points, unless IOC members
No points, unless IOC members and only IOC members are allowed to use the bathroom.
Gender neutral restroom at Gillette
I believe the gentleman who handles the footballs uses it, as there is no urinal.
Every home has one!
I've never been in anybody's house where the bathrooms were gender exclusive.
(this used to be my late mother's response to the OMG UNISEX RESTROOMS! trolls of the Phyllis Schlafly brigade)
I've never been in a public
I've never been in a public restroom with a cushioned toilet seat or a furry bath mat on the floor, nor a home bathroom with a urinal or a stall partition.
And your point is?
And your point is?
Such a Boston thing to do..
Such a Boston thing to do..
What?
What, not being pointlessly stupid about something that just doesn't matter? Hell yeah. Yay us.
How so?
I don't get it. Care to elaborate?
This makes me uncomfortable...
But as a heterosexual male, my concerns are invalid in this brave new world. .