Last Frontier of Human Rights... The Toilet

[lydamorehouse]

My favorite coffee shop is in a mall and thus, doesn't have a public toilet of its very own. The women's bathroom has been under construction for several days now. The nearest alternative requires leaving the building and going to a gas station or a book store. Or... braving the toilet of the opposite sex.

I've always found the insistence that men and women have separate bathrooms a strange relic of some distant past. Not unlike "Colored Only" except that's a REALLY BAD ANALOGY. But listen for a second: I know you guys like your urinals, but, you don't NEED them. Stalls provide privacy for all, regardless of gender. (Also, having now had experience hiding out in a stall waiting for you guys to do your business and leave... urinals seem to encourage bad hygiene. You do your thing and leave. No pause to wash hands. One word, boys: GROSS!) Perhaps if we all shared bathrooms, there would a kind of collective guilt that would cause people of both genders to stop and wash their hands before leaving.

The point is: why do we insist on separating the genders this way? It's not like houses are equipped with two separate bathrooms. Why public places?

Okay, enough of my own personal weirdness, how are you?

Mason didn't want to go to school today. He may have a bit of a sore throat for real (he's been coughing at night), but any excuse for him. It's a different reality. I was very much a big fan of school, but, honestly, I wasn't nearly as smart as Mason. I was a high achiever type, who loved all the projects and such. Mason just wants to stay home and pursue his own interests.

It's also picture re-take day today. His official picture was funky. The photographer decided that kids should smile with their mouths closed. Mason was clearly baffled by this request and his face looks strained and confused. Hopefully, a different photographer will let him laugh, like his kindergarden picture.

Today is Thursday, which means I need to go home in a few minutes and do all my Thursday chores: change the fish tanks, take out recycling, and get ready to go off to volunteer at Mason's school. Tomorrow, you won't see me because I've got plans and they don't include you. Shawn is taking the day off and we're going to pamper ourselves. We need a TGIF.

Comments

[seawasp]

Why? Because it's a place where men and women are taking their clothes off or exposing SEKRIT PARTS of their anatomy, and gods forbid that this be seen, especially by The Chiiiiiildren!

[alirose.livejournal.com]

because every men's bathroom I've ever been in is MUCH dirtier than the women's. the other day I tweeted "why is the bathroom floor sticky? ew" and a male friend replied "if you were a man you would be asking 'why isn't the bathroom floor sticky'." in short, boys pee all over, and I find it icky, so I want my own bathroom. Maybe instead of mens and womens we could have "stand up" and "sit down" bathrooms. :)

[seawasp]

I'm a man and I didn't know that until I was, well, old enough to be out of my parents' house.

Not ALL of us stand up to do that. And some of us, if we DID, would clean up if we missed. (It IS possible to NOT miss and only deliver the goods where they belong.)

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

Sticky floors not only imply poor aim on the part of the males, but that wherever the bathroom is located doesn't clean adequately. I've been to several women's conferences at Mankato and elsewhere that re-labeled the men's bathroom, and it was fine. I've also ducked into the men's when the urge was, well, urgent.

I agree, separate bathrooms are archaic. This is an engineering problem.

[(Anonymous)]

Lets not fool ourselves: urinals don't cause men not to wash their hands. Those that don't wash are just slobs and that having them use stools instead won't change that.

I've been to places that have unisex bathrooms--counselor's offices and other clinics that cater to transgendered people. I suppose the bathrooms are unisex so transgendered folks can do there and not worry about which bathroom to choose, which must be relief for them (in addition to the relief of just relieving yourself). I could use them just fine, although I did feel like I was intruding and kept hoping I could get out of there before a woman walked in.

jpj

hm

[(Anonymous)]

Are you trying to suggest that it is sexist to have separate bathrooms for men and women? I think that's absolutely ludicrous.Why would you CHOOSE to share the bathroom with a man?!
You seem to talk about a lot of stuff only you would care about,like,no one cares really but you..?That's not a bad thing,I only care about the things I care about..but kids get funky school pics all the time.And you're going to pamper yourselves?You know no one really does that.Congrats that you can though.
peace

[(Anonymous)]

At a time when a teenage girl can be dragged into a male toilet and have her pleas for help ignored by other users. Its better that male and female toilets are kept separate. Sorry don't have an account or I would not be anonymous