Would You use a Co-ed Public Restroom?

[Swimmingdancer]

Co ed bathrooms could go a long way towards normalizing these things that everyone does, but no one talks about...

Yeah, I think that would be nice. In western society most of us have too many hang-ups regarding the natural business of urinating and defecating, especially when it comes to the opposite sex.

If the lines to use the public restroom for women weren't so long I'd be all for it.

One way that I've seen some places handle this concern is by having the stalls marked, like if there are 10 stalls, 4 are labelled men's, 4 are labelled women's, and 2 are unlabelled, for anyone's use. The sinks etc are still communal.

Also I think it's possible that women wouldn't spend so much time per bathroom visit if it's a co-ed bathroom

 

[Pagey]

I think that having more genderless washrooms would also be a good way to make people who don't fit with the mainstream definition of "male" or "female" feel more comfortable - for example someone who identifies with a gender other than their biological sex, someone who is intersex, etc. There is a surprising amount of debate in some places about which bathroom someone should use. For example, some people are uncomfortable about a person who is biologically male but looks like a woman using the women's washrooms, and some are uncomfortable about such a person using the men's washrooms, and the person may be very uncomfortable if forced to use a particular one (in this case I imagine it being worse if they're forced to use the men's) or if other people give them a hard time. Some politicians in the US have actually tried to introduce legislation that would make it a criminal offense for people “to use the restrooms designated for the sex other than the one listed on their birth certificate". Which seems terrible to me. Some institutions (schools etc) in the US have banned people from using the restroom designated for the sex other than the one listed on their birth certificate as well. Having communal bathrooms that are for everyone would help eliminate at least some of the problems, aside from the fact that a vocal minority would still have a problem with it of course.

That's a very good point, hadn't thought of it. I'm actually pretty shocked that anyone who might identify as the opposite gender despite their physical sex would be forced to use a bathroom according to the latter...but unfortunately that's just part of a much bigger picture and intolerance regarding transgenders. Co-ed bathrooms would certainly be a step in the right direction. Although again, like I said I don't really see how anyone could have a problem with it if the urinals were in stalls etc. The only shared space would be the sinks and mirrors, which doesn't seem like a big deal.
I also agree that I think this might actually help to reduce the number of sexual assaults. Anyone with such an intention would likely be more deterred from it if there's a possiblity of men walking in, as opposed to women.

 

[dan88]

I've been to a few bars that have this, and I've gotta admit I'm not a fan. It's not so much that girls are there, it's the fact that they're pissed up! It just seems to attract screechy women daring each other to nudge the guys having a piss or whatever (maybe that's just more indicative of Manchester's female population however). It wouldn't be so funny if I turn round now would it love? haha.

On a similar note, I'm a massive fan of the urinals they have in Amsterdam just in the middle of the town. I think it's just the fact that you can piss in public without getting arrested that I love!

 

[ebola?]

Would the stalls have doors? Not seeing the issue here...

I'd have no probs with my S/O using a mixed gender restroom, and frankly I don't even understand why it's an issue at all.

Exactly. I'm not even seeing the rationale behind this being a question of controversy...

ebola

 

[Bagseed]

I think the hygiene would actually improve with mixed bathrooms. less guys would pee all over the toilet seat if there might be a pretty girl going into the stall afterwards. I dislike urinals and a prefer sitting while peeing, so it would not be a problem for me. I have no problem with going to the ladies room either if the mens room is occupied or too disgusting. (;

 

[One Thousand Words]

Oh you are naive bag seed.

Terrible idea. There several reasons that there is always a stupidly long queue in women's toilets. For every cubicle created for a women or male stage fright victim to sit and piss sacrifices at least a three man urinal. You are effectively slowing the traffic by a third for the sake of some sort of feminist equality. Men generally piss, spit then if you are lucky wash their hands and go. Women use the bathroom for everything from hair and make up to general jibber jabber. Don't expect too many men to patiently wait while you fix your look in front of the basin. They won't wait, they will just not wash their hands ( then run them across your face later )

As a rule is is faster and more efficient to clean a urinal than a porcelain toilet, but I don't think most women are ready to share the general filth that a male public bathroom creates. I give it 3 months before you all beg to be allowed your own again.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Women use the bathroom for everything from hair and make up to general jibber jabber. Don't expect too many men to patiently wait while you fix your look in front of the basin.

This is why I think women would speed up their bathroom visits is bathrooms were communal. I'm not one of those ladies who spends time primping or chatting in a public bathroom, but my thinking is that those behaviours might be reduced out of embarassment/consideration if the bathroom was genderless.

I don't think most women are ready to share the general filth that a male public bathroom creates. I give it 3 months before you all beg to be allowed your own again.

Haha, you think women's washrooms are clean??

 

[One Thousand Words]

I piss in the males and fuck in the female for good reason swimming. This ain't my first rodeo.

We don't even bother having a seat or door in a lot of male cubicles (there is usually only one). You are all welcome to come and share just so long as we agree to add more urinals.

 

[Tommyboy]

I wouldn't use it not because I would have an issue with it, but because I would think that females would feel uncomfortable with guys being in the same bathroom as them, and I wouldn't want to be that guy.

 

[RedLeader]

I don't think the efficiency levels would change that much, because as long as you have a line of urinals, male #1 would be pretty much unaffected. Male #2 could be hurt a bit, ya, but the larger number of stalls in the communal room would make female #1/#2 more efficient.


Also, the office or small venue is one thing, but I am talking like a high-traffic place like an airport or arena. Where the boys and girls would always have to mingle.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

I wouldn't use it not because I would have an issue with it, but because I would think that females would feel uncomfortable with guys being in the same bathroom as them, and I wouldn't want to be that guy.

Are you saying that you wouldn't use a bathroom designated as communal/not gender-specific? Or did you just mean you wouldn't use a bathroom labelled as women's?

I piss in the males and fuck in the female for good reason swimming. This ain't my first rodeo.

We don't even bother having a seat or door in a lot of male cubicles (there is usually only one). You are all welcome to come and share just so long as we agree to add more urinals.

LOL, I guess it depends on the location, but I've been in both in a number of places and I didn't think the women's were generally much better than the men's.

I would personally be fine with having urinals in a communal bathroom, but I know privacy is a concern for some people so perhaps the urinals could just be separated by a privacy screen or partial wall.

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Don't many colleges/universities have communal bathrooms?

Also having communal bathrooms actually saves space and would therefore enable room for more toilets.

 

[llama112]

Haha, you think women's washrooms are clean??

They are much MUCH cleaner than male washrooms.
The cleanliness is the only thing I'd worry about in this situation.

 

[BlueHues]

I personally wouldn't care if it were like that, God knows I have bigger things to worry about in my life, and I think most people could handle it without any major problems arising....

But, you can't ever underestimate the kind of creeps that are out there in the world.....Would you really want to send your 8 year old daughter into a public restroom at a GreyHound station or something, where just anyone could be creeping around trying to look through the cracks in the stall door frame?

Granted, there's still a chance that you could be accosted by some "level three sex offender" type guy in any public place, but having some sort of "international rest-room revolution" where there were no gender restrictions on who could come and go, I think that would be inviting the creepers to creep out of the woodwork!

If it actually happened, like if the US passed a federal law universally banning "gender segregated restrooms", I give it two weeks until there's stories all over the national news about peeping toms, child-molesters, how "uncomfortable it makes me feel"....on and on and on

I had to take a shit one time really suddenly while walking down the street, I was with a friend of mine and we were on a street mostly populated by higher end apartments, nice restaurants and little yuppie, pseudo/Bhuddist trinket stores....The kind of stores that sell incense, glass beads, little brass statues of hindu Gods, shit like that....I knew there was nowhere on that street I could take a shit....So I ask my friend where the closest place that would let me use their bathroom was....

well, one street over there's a smoke shop/deli/convenience store place, no chance of using their bathroom, AND there's a Adult Bookstore right next door, which has public restrooms....haha...

My friend suggests I go use the bathroom in the bookstore but kind of gives me a smirk and tells me, "Be careful in there..."

Long story short, and I didn't know it at the time(he did), a lot of Adult Bookstores in the US are frquented by gay men and prostitutes who often use the bathrooms to "take care of business"....I had like three people follow me in there and I kind of knew what was going on....It was an interesting shit....had at least two dudes peek in on me! Which hey, I asked for it I guess going in there....when you gotta go

 

[One Thousand Words]

I would personally be fine with having urinals in a communal bathroom, but I know privacy is a concern for some people so perhaps the urinals could just be separated by a privacy screen or partial wall.

You have been allowed in for five minutes and already your female inefficiencies have started to fuck up our flow . Each partition you build takes up space where a man can stand and pee. And you wonder why women always queue. If you can't pee with other men in the room you usually piss off to the cubicle and line up with the other lesser men. Only difference now is you advertise yourself to the female population too.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

You have been allowed in for five minutes and already your female inefficiencies have started to fuck up our flow . Each partition you build takes up space where a man can stand and pee. And you wonder why women always queue. If you can't pee with other men in the room you usually piss off to the cubicle and line up with the other lesser men. Only difference now is you advertise yourself to the female population too.

LOL, I couldn't care less, I said some people (not me) care and they - both male and female (not all men want to advertise their crotch to women while they pee) - might feel better with a partition. I don't see how that would take up much space. It would certainly take up far less space than having separate male and female washrooms.

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I don't know, communal bathrooms are increasing where I live and the only complaint has been that one particular one had a sticker that was intended as a joke that looked like this:

and men thought they were truly being banned from peeing standing up and were outraged. Aside from that, there hasn't been a problem with co-ed bathrooms.

 

[laugh]

If the lines to use the public restroom for women weren't so long I'd be all for it.

yeh

 

[B1tO'RoughJack]

I have seen it done, it is not a bad idea. You are just ignorant Busty. The toilet can become a much more social place, which is a good thing - a model for the rest of the world.

Who is to say you cannot have toilets AND urinals. As I said I have seen it done, it worked just fine, and all the stuff going on in the mirror that happens in women's toilets - well it happened with men AND women.

Oh you are naive bag seed.

Terrible idea. There several reasons that there is always a stupidly long queue in women's toilets. For every cubicle created for a women or male stage fright victim to sit and piss sacrifices at least a three man urinal. You are effectively slowing the traffic by a third for the sake of some sort of feminist equality. Men generally piss, spit then if you are lucky wash their hands and go. Women use the bathroom for everything from hair and make up to general jibber jabber. Don't expect too many men to patiently wait while you fix your look in front of the basin. They won't wait, they will just not wash their hands ( then run them across your face later )

As a rule is is faster and more efficient to clean a urinal than a porcelain toilet, but I don't think most women are ready to share the general filth that a male public bathroom creates. I give it 3 months before you all beg to be allowed your own again.

PS it is generally not actually necessary to "wash your hands" - urine splashed all over the fingers and worked in will suffice unless one is handling food/fingering pleasure giving orifices.

 

[One Thousand Words]

The simple act of using the same flush button as some one else who took a dump means you should probably wash your hands after using public bathrooms.


note to self: never shake hands with 'RoughJack.....

 

[B1tO'RoughJack]

hahahaha obviously you don't know that urine is STERILE AND ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL! *booooya*

 

[One Thousand Words]

Hahahaha obviously you don't know most public toilets are a cesspool of disease and blow jobs