Many trans and nonbinary people have issues with binary gendered toilets. That is, toilets that only offer a ‘men’ and ‘women’ option. Binary trans people (trans men or trans women) may feel forced into a toilet that doesn’t match their gender, and nonbinary people may not even have an option that matches their gender at all. A solution to this issue is gender neutral toilets, which are free for anyone to use, regardless of gender.

FAQs

Do gender-neutral toilets encourage predatory behaviour?

No, predators are not stopped by the sign on a toilet door, if they do want to abuse people; and trans and nonbinary people are not any more likely to be predators than cis people. In addition, forcing trans people into the bathroom of their assigned sex at birth would defeat the purpose of making women feel safe, as trans men would be forced into their spaces. Gender neutral toilets do, however, remove the possibility of guards checking people (including children)’s biological sex at the toilet door to ensure they match the ‘intended’ gender of users, which is incredibly intrusive, unnecessary and should be illegal.

Are single cubicle gender neutral toilets ok, or should there be one large gender neutral facility for everyone?

Ideally, no one would be fazed by having one large facility which toilet users of all genders share, however, not all locations have unlimited money and space, and a single gender neutral cubicle as an alternative to the binary options is already a big improvement. Some people feel excluded or singled out if they have to use the ‘special’ toilet, however, with everyone else using a shared facility, so if you can create one large shared facility, that would certainly be preferable.

Can’t trans people use the disabled toilets instead?

First of all, not every place has disabled toilets, but even so, trans and nonbinary people aren’t necessarily disabled, so they shouldn’t be forced to use disabled toilets, especially if that means taking away those toilets for people who need them. There should be normal gender neutral toilets instead.

Don’t most places have gender neutral toilets anyway? Why are you making this an issue?

Many places do indeed have gender neutral toilets available, whether as an alternative or the only option. However, if you found this website by scanning a QR code on a sticker, that sticker was in a facility which only offered binary toilet options. Many places, such as schools, restaurants, and other public areas still only provide gender neutral facilities. Until it is a legal requirement, there will still be places without gender neutral toilets.

Is there government involvement surrounding gender neutral toilets?

In October 2020, the government published a technical call for evidence as they were concerned that too many bathrooms were being converted to gender-neutral. Part of this evidence, which has since been published by the government, was that 83% of the response expressed support towards gender neutral bathrooms, and there were more safety concerns overall for trans and non-binary people than for women. Despite this, as of 2023, all new non-residential buildings are required to have single-sex toilets (male and female separately), though they may have gender-neutral bathrooms in addition to this. However, the government does encourage, where possible, for public spaces to have ‘self-contained toilets’, which are fully enclosed cubicles that include a toilet and a hand-washing basin. As these are gender-neutral and provide enclosed spaces with maximum privacy, they are a great option for all people to access. So why aren't they the norm?

How to make change

First of all, if you know who to speak to in the area with only binary toilets, you can ask them to create a gender-neutral option. It is possible that they may not have realised it was a problem, and you can be the cause of a gender-neutral option getting established. If there isn’t someone obvious to speak to, or the person you did speak to is unreceptive, another option is posting to social media to create public pressure for that venue to change their facilities.

You can also write to your local MP to create pressure for legal change, which is the only solid change, and vote for MPs likely to support progressive and LGBT+ issues.

If you’d like a template for an email to send to your MP, you can find one below but be aware that a personalised letter will have more effect.

Gender Neutral Toilets

Email template

Dear [insert name of local MP here],

I am writing to you to raise the issue of the lack of gender-neutral toilets available in public places. Many facilities in public places such as schools, restaurants and office buildings only provide male and female toilets, which are invalidating and uncomfortable for many trans and nonbinary people. Many of these toilets are in government-sponsored venues and schools.

It would be beneficial to have your support for laws which would mandate having at least one gender neutral toilet in all public places that provide toilets. If you could share your thoughts and input in parliament, that would be much appreciated and directly beneficial large percentage of the population, and your constituents.

Yours sincerely,

[insert your name here]

[insert your address here]