Primary school introduces unisex toilets to "prevent transphobia"

[Lace Neil Singer]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education...ansphobia.html

Never mind the fact that there probably isn't a trans pupil in the school in the first place, let's all bend over backwards to fix a problem which doesn't exist, just cuz we can!

Speaking personally, I wouldn't have given two shits at that age about sharing a unisex loo with the boys. Seeing as I did that every day of my life, when I was the only girl in the family. But I can see how some kids might feel a bit uncomfortable about having to share, and it just seems to be needlessly oversensitive.

[fireheart17]

The school I currently work at goes both ways with the toilets. They have a unisex one inside the school building, but segregated ones outside. We still send the kids up in single-sex pairs (girls or boys) for safety reasons unless there are two who are absolutely busting to go.

[siead_lietrathua]

two things that pop to my head on this
one being that, it does make sense to have, since most trans people realise they are trans before they hit puberty (they just may not have the language for it)
the second being that, why would the kids care? they are beneath the age of puberty. most of them are probably still at that "EWWWWW cooties" stage of life. it's not like the bathroom will now become the #1 makeout spot.
and, frankly, the idea of people sharing a bathroom is not that scary. what's the worst that can happen, people realizing girls fart and boys pee standing?*

*i'm aware that bad things can happen in bathrooms with assault etc. i'm also aware that gender-segregated bathrooms don't seem to do jack shit to stop it either. creepers are gonna creep, whether they're allowed in the place they're creeping or not.

[Gravekeeper]

Public restrooms are a minefield for trans people and far more dangerous to them than to men or women ( Because men are terrified of Teh Gay and think it is lurking to ambush them at every turn to infect them with queer cooties. ). Unisex bathrooms really should be available but in addition to segregated.

And frankly, you don't know what sort of junk anyone else in the bathroom with you has to begin with so why worry about it? Unless you want to start mandating weiner checks at the door. Trans people are in there for the same reason anyone else is. Vacating the premises of their digestive tract.

And yes, creepers gonna creep regardless. If some guy is willing to go the entire 9 yards to dress up as a woman just so he can listen to women pee in the stall next to him its not like the sign on the door is going to stop him either way.

[Greenday]

the second being that, why would the kids care? they are beneath the age of puberty. most of them are probably still at that "EWWWWW cooties" stage of life. it's not like the bathroom will now become the #1 makeout spot.

This isn't just five year olds. Kids in the 4th/5th/6th grades are going to be quite curious about each other's parts.

[Sarah Valentine]

It's a stupid idea, leave the bathrooms the way they are don't fix something that isn't broken. I have to admit this plus the purple penguins thing made me think of this: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2000/03/13

[cindybubbles]

Designating a hallway full of single, accessible, unisex washrooms would be better. My local movie complex does this with its VIP wing, with each one having a toilet, toilet paper, a sink, a mirror and a hand dryer.

[s_stabeler]

meh, they're primary school kids. I can't remember for sure, but I can't remember the loos being segregated at that age. I will admit I find their reasoning cockeyed, though.

[siead_lietrathua]

This isn't just five year olds. Kids in the 4th/5th/6th grades are going to be quite curious about each other's parts.

kids are obsessed with their genitals even as toddlers. but most children are not over that sense of "other" about the opposite gender until puberty hits and the hormones start kicking in. they may be curious, but they aren't interested in having sex with each other. the few that are interested might have hit puberty early, or have other factors involved (abuse etc) to normalize sexual behaviour.
anyway, it's not like segregated bathrooms keeps kids from showing each other their junk. as i said, creepers gonna creep.

[Hyena Dandy]

Never mind the fact that there probably isn't a trans pupil in the school in the first place, let's all bend over backwards to fix a problem which doesn't exist, just cuz we can!

With about 2% of the population likely to be trans, there's probably a few in a school of 500 people.

Besides, even assuming that this year, there are zero trans students, there may well be some in the future. When I was in middle school, there weren't any kids in wheelchairs in the school, but we still had handicapped access ramps, because maybe one WILL be there in the future.

Kids might feel a bit uncomfortable, but I'd certainly say it's the preferable option. I'm pretty sure that my elementary school had a mix of unisex and single-sex bathrooms. I recall there being a single-sex bathroom in the main hall, and also remember there being a unisex one outside the gym. It was a small school. I don't recall there being any issues with either type of bathroom.

I don't see what's such a big deal. Potentially, things could be a lot easier, and it's a very minor change to anyone else.

[Eisa]

I like the idea of unisex bathrooms and wish there was more in the world. I might not have had the word for my gender when I was in elementary school, but I was still non-binary then, it would have been nice, and there are certainly tons of trans kids who do realize at very young ages that they don't identify with what they were assigned at birth.

[HYHYBT]

Build stalls that give real privacy, which would benefit everybody anyway, and then who cares who's in the next one.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Build stalls that give real privacy, which would benefit everybody anyway, and then who cares who's in the next one.

This. Oh god, this. The stalls I remember from school had giant gaps under the doors. I know they didn't want kids to be trapped inside the cubicles but it doesn't feel very secure to have a giant gap anyone could peep thru.

[fireheart17]

This. Oh god, this. The stalls I remember from school had giant gaps under the doors. I know they didn't want kids to be trapped inside the cubicles but it doesn't feel very secure to have a giant gap anyone could peep thru.

It's still the case here. A common trick to do in primary school was to lock the door and then crawl out underneath (or over the top)

[sophie]

Build stalls that give real privacy, which would benefit everybody anyway, and then who cares who's in the next one.

Yes! At an airport near by the gaps are so big I can stick a closed fist through it. You might as well pee out in the open.