Gender Neutral Toilets: Pret A Manger

sussexsports2000

In Brighton the two following Pret A Manger (the one in East Street and the one in Churchill Square) have gender-neutral toilets that are located down a flight of narrow stairs (East Street) and up a flight a stairs (Churchill Square), both sets of unisex toilets you have to first enter with a code before you queue for the unisex cubicles. My female friend asked the staff (after we ordered a large amount of food and drinks) if she could use the disabled toilets instead located near the staff area as she does not feel comfortable using unisex toilets. The staff barked at her that she could not use the disabled toilets. I tried to very discreetly to explain to the manager that a lot of women who have been victim of child abuse and rape probably do not want to share unisex toilets. The manager just blankly refused. Is that normal? This happened in both aforementioned Pret. Needless to say we won't go back there which is sad as the food is beyond reproach. Please let me know if you think that the problem is with us and we just need to get on board the diversity train, or we were justified in asking for my friend to use the disabled toilets. Thank you in advance.

unforeseen

I don't agree with the 'barking' but agree with the staff that disabled toilets are for those that meet the criteria (for want of a better word) to use them

BTW, disabled toilets are unisex by design.

donnac2558

Yes, disabled toilets have always between unisex.


I know a number of times on a busy Saturday large queue outside the women's toilets in a coffee shop been asked if anyone wanted to use the men's? We all said yes. No problems go in a pee wash hands and leave.

mattyprice4004

I worked somewhere with normal Male and Female toilets; I'm all for keeping them separate as the women's were a million times worse. :eek:

JReacher1

Your friend wasn’t disabled so shouldn’t use the disabled toilets.

If someone who is disabled needs the toilet it is not fair that the toilet is being occupied by someone who is only using the toilets as she doesn’t want to use the non disabled toilet.

The reasons to not using the uni sex toilets are frankly ridiculous. What does she do on things like trains and airplanes where a toilet is used by either sex?

JReacher1

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

I worked somewhere with normal Male and Female toilets; I'm all for keeping them separate as the women's were a million times worse. :eek:

Why were you in the female toilets?

unforeseen

JReacher1 wrote: »

Your friend wasn’t disabled so shouldn’t use the disabled toilets.

If someone who is disabled needs the toilet it is not fair that the toilet is being occupied by someone who is only using the toilets as she doesn’t want to use the non disabled toilet.

The reasons to not using the uni sex toilets are frankly ridiculous. What does she do on things like trains and airplanes where a toilet is used by either sex?

Or even it home if she has males living there as well?

Ms_Chocaholic

Your friend's reason for not using the unisex toilets was due to them being unisex from what you've written, how then can she use the disabled toilets which are again unisex. I'm baffled.

unforeseen

JReacher1 wrote: »

Why were you in the female toilets?

both (all) sexes have to do the cleaning of toilets or quality checks

Socajam

What happened if your friend was in the disabled toilet and someone who is really disabled, desperate to go wanted to use the toilet - say that was you - how would you feel?

What happened if your friend is in a situation where she really need to use the toilet and they are no disabled ones, what is she going to do?

I am not being unsympathetic to your friend, but this is something she needs to think about and start working on slowly. I am not really a fan of gender neutral toilets, I think this have gone too far, but folks in the majority seems to have no voice these days.

Manxman_in_exile

I know many women who are uncomfortable with the sort of "unisex" toilet facilities that I presume the OP is describing. (I don't think they mean single cubicle toilets as in planes, trains and homes).


I can understand why some women don't like them, but as a bloke I'm not bothered.