ARE Gender Neutral Toilets Inclusive?

  I was speaking on female safety w/a male friend. He then tells me that the tradeswomen on construction sites have single-sex, single-occup...

 

I was speaking on female safety w/a male friend. He then tells me that the tradeswomen on construction sites have single-sex, single-occupancy portable toilets. So think female plumbers, welders, carpenters, and electricians.....

The porta pots have either combination or padlock locks on them for additional protection. AND the women go to the bathroom in pairs. AND they lock the single-occupancy toilets every single time. AND one of them stands watch outside.

Most women always think about their safety because reality IS the reality. No choice. The world has been this way and just because we call it out doesn't make reality our fault.

Any mom of a young boy will tell you, gender-neutral restrooms/family restrooms are wonderful!

Gender-neutral restrooms or family restrooms are great as long as there is also a clean, private, & handicap-accessible option for females only. and there is also a clean, private, & handicap accessible option for males only.

As people frequently point out, "We have gender-neutral restrooms in our homes".

True.

Still, women & children have been AND are being raped & beaten in residential bathrooms, and their own homes, while family members were/are steps away.

IF communities, families, leaders, & lawmakers had:

heeded previous warnings of women

listened to victims/Survivors

invested in sweeping change & prevention

listened to people with physical disabilities who have been calling for us to re-think public bathroom accommodations for generations....

We might be at a place where accessible gender-neutral bathrooms could be the norm in some places.

We are nowhere near there yet.

A friend tells me that tradeswomen working on construction sites have their own dedicated portable toilets just for females. They have either combination or padlock locks on them for additional protection. EVEN SO, women who are electricians, welders, plumbers, and carpenters go to the bathroom in pairs. They lock the single occupancy toilets every single time.

And for extra precautions, one woman stands watch outside of the door. 

Someone made an excellent point on social media recently:

If the men's restroom has 6 stalls/urinals and 

the women's restroom has 6 stalls 

but all of them are available to males ==

_______________________________________

Women and girls have 0 stalls where they can go, utilize, and feel safe.