[Closed] Gender-neutral toilet facilities

Afterward, everyone used the sinks.

theres no need for that!

Is this not something we could just do everywhere, and so avoid some of the political difficulties that have arisen in the wake of society’s awareness of transgenderism?

What is the issue with well-designed, shared toilet facilities?

The issue is they're shared - a more useful way of addressing the issue isn't gendered or non gendered facilities - its not having communal facilities. Theres no need or reason for the space to be shared - whether its public loos, changing rooms, hospital wards or whatever. Nobody relishes the idea of sharing their ablutions with others. We've just been building them that way out of habit.

The issue just vanishes if you get the design and build right rather than just change the sign on the door.

They introduced it in my old high school a few years ago, there was the usual cries from the terminally worried, but it works well I'm told. Although it's all stall affair.

There's a few bars I know that have the same thing, I feel for Women in those circumstances, Men's toilets are generally disgusting and I wouldn't want to sit anywhere near one. You'd hope it would cause Men to up their game a bit, but 11pm in Cardiff Bay? I doubt it.

I am all for gender neutral toilets, as long as the ladies have a ladies loo also. Sounds sexist (I'm male) but blokes don't care if women are in their loos, but women do care if men are in theirs.

my local pub had a great set up.
admittedly its a small place with no existing infrastructure to get around, but they had a door marked:

"Sitting down toilet"

and another for:

"Standing up toilet"

That was it. no gender, no judgement, just choose the door you preferred.

We’ve always had them in our house.

My daughter's school has communal toilets, there no urinals though - the walls are lined with cubicles (floor to ceiling walls between) with sinks in the central space and there's no wall dividing off the sinks area from the corridor.

Initial feeling was that it was weird (we fear change), but given how open-plan the shared space is, it means there's no scope for bundling people into the bogs for a kicking (was that just my school?), and it possibly peer-pressures people to wash their hands who might not bother otherwise, so I've no concerns.

Daughter told me she didn't like it the other day, but that's more because she feels self-conscious doing her hair with boys around as opposed to anything else.

Good god no - have you seen the queues outside the ladies at events - I'm getting to the age that I'd likely piss myself if I had to wait that long.

Or... In the words of my daughters non binary partner, one of the benefits is you choose the loos with the shortest queues.

blokes don’t care if women are in their loos, but women do care if men are in theirs.

This. The OP needs to ask why on mumsnet, you will be lucky to find a bloke on here who GAF.

...and yeah, we could rebrand male bogs as 'Unisex' overnight and leave the ladies as a ladies and solve a ton of problems. I'm in favour.

In practical terms it already happens - busy nightclub/sportsclub or busy campsite and you find women in the he gents and nobody ever complains.

We’ve always had them in our house.

That's not the same environment as a public loo is it, or do you allow unknowns to use your bogs at random?

In practical terms it already happens – busy nightclub/sportsclub or busy campsite and you find women in the he gents and nobody ever complains.

Point, the wife uses the gents at will.

I have no issue with it, I manage to share a toilet at home so fairly sure I can manage it at work or a pub.

Personally I don't see what the fuss is about?

and yeah, we could rebrand male bogs as ‘Unisex’ overnight and leave the ladies as a ladies and solve a ton of problems. I’m in favour.

That solves fewer problems that you imagine

That’s not the same environment as a public loo is it, or do you allow unknowns to use your bogs at random?

Whats the issue with washing your hands next to an unknown? It's not like you have to sit on toilet seat at the same time as a stranger is it?

Good god no – have you seen the queues outside the ladies at events

The exception being at a Top Gear live show where the gents queue was out of the door while the wimmins was empty 🙂

It is going to be a UK prudishness thing. Those foreign continental types seem more open minded, shared sauna's for example. When to a massive sauna in Italy once with around 100 people in steam rooms, sauna, splash pools etc,. with every walking around naked.
Me and wife were the only 2 from the UK group we were with who went in.

(the part where a big bearded German man slapped me on the thigh came as a surprise though!)

Whats the issue with washing your hands next to an unknown? It’s not like you have to sit on toilet seat at the same time as a stranger is it?

There is a huge issue with walking into a quiet public place at night on your own with only one in and out door . It is nothing like being at home in any way.

What is the issue with well-designed, shared toilet facilities?

There's a fear that men will get a bit Trumpy in a shared space, because to date having a picture of a woman on a door has been 100% effective in preventing blokes from walking through it. There's a similar transphobic narrative around how a bloke can "self-identify" as a woman and use the ladies facilities. I don't know about you, but if I felt like a spot of molesting the first thing I'd do is pop on a dress, shout "I'm a lady!" and head for the nearest toilets.

Manchester University has handled this well. The main facilities are all non-gendered, but they also have women-only loos for those who want it. You have to walk a bit further to get to them though.

My workplace has gender neutral toilets (London tower building). Some floors are specifically M&F toliets and others are neutral.
I prefer to use the M only personally, especially on sit down days when it could be a bit noisy!

My daughters school also has gender neutral toilets and she won't use them. Waits until she gets home, not ideal as she then ends up getting constipated. She feels embarrassed about wind noises and also finds the boys are "so unclean".

Like verses my daughters school and before that her nursery have them, never bothered me one bit and she doesn't bat an eye.

Came across unisex toilets once at one of the bars in Bath uni. Was amusing when the female that exited a cubicle at the same time as myself did a double take at the same time as I did. We both laughed it off as neither of us had noticed and the world kept turning.

There’s a few bars I know that have the same thing, I feel for Women in those circumstances, Men’s toilets are generally disgusting and I wouldn’t want to sit anywhere near one. You’d hope it would cause Men to up their game a bit, but 11pm in Cardiff Bay? I doubt it.

I wouldn't let it concern you too much, I've been assured that women are just as capable of making a sty of their toilets which I guess is even worse as the chances of missing should be slim to zero!

Last week, I went to an open day for my daughters secondary school that she will attend from September next year.

I was surprised to see that the toilets are open spaces on the side of the corridors. Along each side of this small open room are stalls. There is a large circular sink come fountain in the middle for washing.

Good idea I thought as kids cannot get upto mischief in the toilet (closed) rooms.

Shirley if the loos are gender free, everyone gets to use them whatever they deem their “sex” to be.

I agree with blokes loos being ****ing disgusting though. It’s an embarrassment quite honestly, it seems like some blokes just get their cock out and start pissing as soon as they open the main entrance door.... some blokes I wouldn’t share a loo space with if I had the choice.

One small point... whilst not toilet related, is the local swimming baths for instance. An old mate of mine used to be a center manager, he’d often say the women’s changing rooms were covered in all sorts of crap... quite what makes anyone want to leave used tampons lying on the floor is frankly beyond my simple comprehension.

🤮🤮👎

I was surprised to see that the toilets are open spaces on the side of the corridors. Along each side of this small open room are stalls.

Huh. I thought public toilets had to be double-doored by law (or building regs or some such)?

Men’s toilets are generally disgusting and I wouldn’t want to sit anywhere near one.

My brother used to work as a cleaner in Debenhams and he said the ladies toilets in there were generally disgraceful with some pretty revolting things wiped on cubicle walls a common occurrence!!!

Time to mention USA'n public toilet stalls without proper walls or doors (Houston Galleria - no doors at all). Strange since USA'ns are generally so prudish.

Yep my lads school has 'open' gender neutral toilets with traps around the walls and communal sinks in the middle. I needed to use them at an open day and was very wary of noises! but probably just because I knew there were loads of parents hanging around outside....

There is a huge issue with walking into a quiet public place at night on your own with only one in and out door . It is nothing like being at home in any way.

Silly me, I forgot that all men are sex pests and can't control ourselves at the sight of a lady washing her hands in a shared sink!

or, it could actually be a good thing as there would be double the number of people around so the chances of being on her own, and therefore vulnerable to sex pests, are reduced by half? Unless you think the picture of a lady on a bathroom door is the thing keeping the sex pests away?

my local pub had a great set up.
admittedly its a small place with no existing infrastructure to get around, but they had a door marked:

“Sitting down toilet”

and another for:

“Standing up toilet”

That was it. no gender, no judgement, just choose the door you preferred.

That's discriminatory to women because it effectively gives men twice as many toilets as women.
It sounds wonderful and egalitarian at first glance but it's actually making the problem worse.

I have no issue with it, I manage to share a toilet at home so fairly sure I can manage it at work or a pub.

Personally I don’t see what the fuss is about?

Imagine your halfway through courting a member of the opposite sex in a bar, then need to alleviate yourself from yesterdays curry only to find them exiting the trap next to you once made enough noise to rival Odin's thunderclap coupled with the smell equalling 1000 decaying Jalfrezi's...

Somethings should remain private until a marriage certificate is signed.

Imagine your halfway through courting a member of the opposite sex in a bar, then need to alleviate yourself from yesterdays curry only to find them exiting the trap next to you once made enough noise to rival Odin’d thunderclap coupled with the smell equalling 1000 decaying Jalfrezi’s…

Err, women poo too. And based on living in a shared house with 3 women and now being married to one I can confirm they're just as disgusting, loud and smelly as fellas are.

Whilst fellas may pee on the floor, women have the additional tool of disgust, the used tampon.

Imagine your halfway through courting a member of the opposite sex in a bar, then need to alleviate yourself from yesterdays curry only to find them exiting the trap next to you once made enough noise to rival Odin’d thunderclap coupled with the smell equalling 1000 decaying Jalfrezi’s…

How do teh gays and lesbinums manage?

Here's the problem with modern society, there's so many categories of things that any attempt to get something politically correctly is fraught with danger.  I was only thinking of "Willys" and "Not Willys" tbh.

I'm out.

WE've got a load of gender neutral toilets in one of our campuses. It's really useful, because it saved us a fortune in adding extra toilets.

my local pub had a great set up.
admittedly its a small place with no existing infrastructure to get around, but they had a door marked:

“Sitting down toilet”

and another for:

“Standing up toilet”

That was it. no gender, no judgement, just choose the door you preferred.

That’s discriminatory to women because it effectively gives men twice as many toilets as women.
It sounds wonderful and egalitarian at first glance but it’s actually making the problem worse.

It's a pub - very few men are going to need a "sitting down" toilet, but it is provided for those who do, in a much more space efficient way for the building, as there isn't the solitary male trap left unused while women queue next door. Which in turn should leave more space and therefore more stalls for the women.

Outdoor venues and stadiums have (finally) in the last few years cottoned on to the most efficient and hygienic way to organise large public bathrooms for men is to provide a urinal with no door handle or controls to touch at all.

If it's all stalls then gender neutral toilets are a great idea, urinals stink anyway. They allow transgendered people to feel welcome and aid disabled people who may have a carer of a different gender to their own to use the facilities as well. They also require less floorspace than two separate rooms, so it's a win for business.
I can understand other women's concerns about safety but I've also seen women fighting each other in the ladies and the skirted figure on the door didn't protect them, someone walking in did which would be more likely in mixed loos. I hope it'll improve peoples hygiene too

for the people saying blokes make a mess of the toilets, i can 100% confirm the women are just a disgusting, if not worse (whenever drink seems to be involved at least)... i used to work in a nightclub and the girls bogs was equally as gross as the fellas on tidy up time... but with added lady specialties (and by that i mean used tampons)

Locally in France the ladies happily spill over into the men's zone whether it be in the men's showers at the swimming pool or toilets anywhere. However, men never spill over into the ladies' showers and very rarely into ladies' toilets.

It’s a pub – very few men are going to need a “sitting down” toilet,

have you noticed how much those urinals 'splash' back at you ?

And I've got a pretty desperate bladder with low flow rate so for a normal person they must return back to the bar well 'covered in piss'.

Combined with the fact that a very high percentage of men don't bother to wash their hands and therefore the door handle to get out of the toilet is also 'covered in piss and fecal matter' then gender neutral toilets sound like a pretty unattractive option for non 'males'

I am going to be british prudish and full of hangups and say I know damn well stage fright would get me if trying to pee in a urinal with women around. Nowt would happen. Thats my flaw tho

Recently trekking in Majorca and using the mountain huts they had mixed sex dorms. Made me very uncomfortable!

Again my issue tho

Not such an issue if its all cubicles

Our Uni has these, as does our local leisure centre. No problems.
As do most nightclubs after midnight. 🙂

I can only conclude that most of you who think that women have better bog etiquette than men went to single sex schools and have never had relationships with the opposite sex.

If you ever went to The Banshee in Manchester I'm sure you can confirm that the only issue with mixed bogs is trying to maintain your dignity whilst people are shagging on the sinks. 🙂

If you’ve ever stood at a urinal with feint absorbent trousers, you’d only ever use the sit down variety. I’m all for gender neutral toilets without urinals.

Bank holiday weekend they were shepherding the men into the ladies toilets at Gordano service station to cope with capacity. I didn’t see a single complaint from any of the ladies, just cheerful smiling and chatting.

If you’ve ever stood at a urinal with feint absorbent trousers, you’d only ever use the sit down variety. I’m all for gender neutral toilets without urinals.

Ahhhh - the perils of pissing/splashing yourself when in khakis.

As an aside, it saddens me that young women are being taught to feel embarrassed about their normal bodily functions. More princess shite.

It's a bit of that - and just being more socially aware than men.

We're uncivilized dude.

At work we have rows of cubicles in a non gender specific toilet area, each cubicle has a toilet, a sanitary bin, a sink, a mirror, paper towels and hand wash. Lots of grumbling about it by some but seems to work ok.

raybanwomble

We’re uncivilized dude.

Having had to clean the girls and boys toilet & bathroom in my uni house after my housemates all conveniently ****ed off at the end of the year without doing it, I can categorically state that girls are less civilised.

Do you think they become more civilised than us as we age? I mean - I do remember horrifically messy women at uni, mostly alcoholic ladette types. But overtime the truly horrific shit, which makes you question your own moral compass for hanging out with said person , that’s been from guys. Taking a shit in a clients kitchen and drunkenly pissing on audio visual equipment in a private cinema springs to mind.

I once saw a girthy turd in a urinal in the "gents" in a pub in Barnsley. I assumed it was left by a bloke but after reading this thread...

Daughters school has had mixed toilets for the entire time she's been there. So that's 7 years, apparently it was done as a more open policy to avoid bullying.

Male privilege alert.

From what I understand, the issue with toilets is that they are a small secluded room which you have to go into. If it's just a woman and a bloke, this puts the women in a potentially dangerous situation. For many if not most women, any man is a potential threat.

"Oh, but I'm a man and I could be beaten up in a toilet!" I hear you say. Sure, in theory, but take a look at #metoo on twitter. I could indeed be beaten up at any point, and yet I don't feel afraid that it might happen every time I leave the house.

From what I understand, the issue with toilets is that they are a small secluded room which you have to go into. If it’s just a woman and a bloke, this puts the women in a potentially dangerous situation.

We should have Boris-only toilets in that case.

I thought that, per piss, urinals use less water than stalls. Unless you only flush after a crap.

So shouldn't we all be using urinals for number ones (ladies included)?

MOdern toilets have a short and a long flush button depending on what you deposit - and of course there is the old Aussie adage " if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down"

MOdern toilets have a short and a long flush button

Ah, but how do you know which is which?

Is it small button for small flush, or big button because that's the most-used and most-likely option? And I'm sure different toilet makers take a different view on the matter, just to confuse the poor user even more.

MOdern toilets have a short and a long flush button depending on what you deposit

I think the short flush still uses more water than a modern urinal.

From what I understand, the issue with toilets is that they are a small secluded room which you have to go into. If it’s just a woman and a bloke, this puts the women in a potentially dangerous situation. For many if not most women, any man is a potential threat.

Whilst this may be true, a little drawing of someone in a skirt on the toilet door isn't going to change that. In terms of preventing attacks it's about as useful as a "no raping" tee-shirt.

Are attacks in toilets particularly common even? They're generally well-lit public spaces and in terms of unisex bogs you're basically talking about a room with a few sinks in. We'd be far better off banning dark alleyways.

Whilst this may be true, a little drawing of someone in a skirt on the toilet door isn’t going to change that.

You're a man, explaining to women why they're wrong to be afraid of gender neutral toilets? You're at risk of mansplaining here.

By labelling it as a women's toilet you demonstrate that any many going into it is up to no good - and if caught, he has no defence. If a woman sees a man in a women's toilet she can leave straight away. It's not foolproof, but it's the only idea we currently have.

And if women don't like the idea of gender neutral toilets then they should be listened to by men rather than dismissed because safety is much more of a women's issue than it is a men's issue.

No thanks, it's a step too far for this old girl.

I think yo and me are dinosaurs on this one CG!

Well I have a valid point here...we look at is as a one is cleaner than the other...NOT TRUE..I've cleaned enough toilets in my time to know were all dirty animals..and the 'vulnurable/fear' argument dont cut it..it donesnt stop a man going in womens or vice versa ..schools ...NO..I know school kids and they aren't usually that nice..so it's a liability of being humiliated(very hard to recover from..)..but as adults..why not?..were all accepting and open minded..I dont give a crap if I'm in a cubical next to women man or anything else for that matter.. I have to go regardless ...i dont care..

To argue that when are more vulnerable..BS..men can get assaulted,physically and sexually,humiliated and everything else under the sun..were as vulnerable as they are but just shut the F*** up about it and get on with it..if your women turned man ...fine..man turned women ..fine..its all the same stuff..wheres the problem..I would use the bathroom with the door open as I just dont give a shit ..but it makes OTHERS uncomfortable.. gender neutral is a non argument here..its all the same human parts..who cares..use men or use women's.. just decide..

Worked in a few places where bathrooms were shared - but were an array of single occupancy rooms with solid doors and walls.

Much better than ‘unisex’ facilities - no urine on floor, no towels or tampons I ever saw and no ‘pebbledashed’ toilet pans.

No fuss. No issues with male/female facility ratio. No barrier to non-binary etc.  Faultless and foolproof.

I think yo and me are dinosaurs on this one CG!

Sounds like it doesn't it tj! Mind you I could envisage a few complaints from the men once they've been in the vicinity of those wimminz who liberally spray themselves in ghastly perfume. They'll be an 'OUT OF ORDER' sign on the door before you know it!

Locally in France the ladies happily spill over into the men’s zone whether it be in the men’s showers at the swimming pool or toilets anywhere. However, men never spill over into the ladies’ showers and very rarely into ladies’ toilets.

Yes, I've come across that in Bordeaux airport, bit of a shock at first to see all these ladies in the gents

and the ‘vulnurable/fear’ argument dont cut it

No you just don't get it.

To argue that when are more vulnerable..BS

You really don't get it. How the **** would you know what it's like to be a woman? Maybe you should try listening to #metoo

were all accepting and open minded

Unfortunately some of us are sexual predators and like preying on people half their size.

Having gender neutral toilets doesn’t prevent there also being women only toilets. What some of you are getting upset about is that some women weren’t born women, and that allowing them into women only toilets might also allow dangerous individuals to abuse that and be in women only toilets and threaten women.

See the Manchester Uni approach… big public gender neutral toilets in busy locations. Women only toilets elsewhere. No idea what restrictions they place on the women only toilets, but I’d hope they are ready to act on anyone that is a threat anywhere on campus.

You’re a man, explaining to women why they’re wrong to be afraid of gender neutral toilets? You’re at risk of mansplaining here.

No, I'm a man explaining to another man (unless there's something you've not told me since we last met) why I think that as risk mitigation goes, a sign on the door is as close to "none" as makes no odds.

By labelling it as a women’s toilet you demonstrate that any many going into it is up to no good – and if caught, he has no defence. If a woman sees a man in a women’s toilet she can leave straight away. It’s not foolproof, but it’s the only idea we currently have.

No defence? You're honestly telling me that you've never in your life accidentally walked into the wrong toilets?

In the hypothetical situation that a man is going to exploit the fact that shared facilities exist in order to molest someone then they're going to wait until there's no bugger else around, rendering any signage pointless. Christ, if you were that determined to infiltrate the ladies' crapper, a janitor's overalls and a mop isn't hard to come by.

For the avoidance of doubt, because you appear to be picking the wrong fight with me: I am in no way trivialising or dismissing anyone's concerns, whether perceived or actual. I'm simply saying that the dangers present in a shared bathroom is the same as one in a unisex one. Or for that matter, any public place - someone could just as easily get grabbed in a shop.

I don't believe that gendered toilets should be removed entirely because as CG demonstrates she for one wouldn't be comfortable with it and I expect she's far from alone here, and that's absolutely fine, but the fact is that non-gendered toilets solve a lot of issues for some people. Aside from the obvious non-binary / trans folk, they must be great for dads out with their young daughters or mums with sons. Dads having to choose between bringing their little girls into a room where there's a load of fully grown blokes with their cock in their hand, or into one where he's seemingly a serial rapist just by dint of being there, must be quite the dilemma.

Anyway. TL;DR - choice good mmkay.

Frankly I'd be worried about encountering madmechanist, see his post a little way up.

For me it's not especially about safety and all to do with wanting relative privacy in a relatively clean environment. Of course this may well depend on the type of establishment but, seriously, who'd want this facility where alcohol is served. Not being generalistic and not intending to cause offence either, just to be clear.

Two things I never thought I’d admit on a public forum.

1: Urinals are ****ing horrible things. Stink and there is generally piss everywhere. I’ll use a stall and sit down where possible. Browse this place, read the news or something. It’s a break.

2: I have difficulty taking a piss or a shit if the toilets are crowded. No idea why, but if there’s talking it just puts me right off. Bizarre and annoying and would be made worse with some sort of open plan toilet area.

And if women don’t like the idea of gender neutral toilets then they should be listened to by men rather than dismissed

That, to me, seems like the only statement worth listening to.

But… you can have gender neutral toilets AND women only facilities, on the same site. And that can be a damn useful solution to lots of problems. Women objecting to the abolition of all women only toilets makes perfect sense. Women who object to gender neutral toilets existing at all, and especially men speaking for them, often turn out to have dubious true motives.

Women who object to gender neutral toilets existing at all, and especially men speaking for them, often turn out to have dubious true motives.

You what??

Women who object to gender neutral toilets existing at all, and especially men speaking for them, often turn out to have dubious true motives

interesting. What would these 'dubious motives' be?

Good god no – have you seen the queues outside the ladies at events – I’m getting to the age that I’d likely piss myself if I had to wait that long.

Many years ago, actually around 1984, I went see U2 at Cardiff Arms Park, and the queues for the ladies nearby were immense, and while I was in the men’s one young lady obviously had had enough and marched in past all the blokes to an empty cubicle, cue a few raised eyebrows! I just thought, good for you!

Do you think they become more civilised than us as we age? I mean – I do remember horrifically messy women at uni, mostly alcoholic ladette types. But overtime the truly horrific shit, which makes you question your own moral compass for hanging out with said person , that’s been from guys.

A company I worked for in Chippenham for some time, and which had a fairly high female workforce, particularly in the areas I worked in much of the time had to put up notices about the state some women were leaving their loos in, which appeared to be deliberate soiling of the walls...

interesting. What would these ‘dubious motives’ be?

I can understand, and support, the objection to having gender-neutral toilets instead of unisex ones. I cannot see any credible reason to object to facilities literally anyone can use as well as having traditional unisex ones other than bigotry. It's like arguing against wheelchair ramps.

Many years ago, actually around 1984, I went see U2 at Cardiff Arms Park

Cool. Was that the tour for The Unforgettable Fire?

Ahh! Back when U2 were good...

But… you can have gender neutral toilets AND women only facilities, on the same site.

That's all well and good until the private sector and/or public services decide they can save money by ordering wimminz to use gender-neutral toilets thus making the wimminz-only ones surplus to (men's) requirements. Reduces maintenance, reduces cleaning and you end up with extra space. What's not to like?

That’s all well and good until the private sector and/or public services decide they can save money by ordering wimminz to use gender-neutral toilets

Whilst a good point,

a) Has that ever happened in the history of ever? And,

b) If that looked likely to occur then surely that's what you should be protesting against, rather than being against their existence at all, no?

Those damned disabled ramps, soon councils will be saving money by not building steps.

It's not really like arguing against wheelchair ramps though, is it?

At the moment lavatory provision is arguably biased against women: although there is usually the same amount provided for both sexes women take about twice as long on average (because they have to undress a bit more, because they have extra things to do - such as change sanitary items, and because using a cubicle takes longer than using a urinal). This means that even with current provision women have to queue longer - something we have all seen at gigs and theatre events.
Women also generally prefer women only lavatories. There are many reason why, but I don't think they should even have to justify this - if that's what they prefer then that's what they should get (sex (not gender or gender identity) is a protected characteristic under the 2010 equality act).
As women generally don't like mixed sex toilets these in effect become male toilets, meaning men now get 2/3 of the provision (assuming equal amounts of male, female, mixed) while women are left with 1/3.

Of all the things going on in the world mixed sex lavatories is about 1000th on the things that personally bother me, but many, many women do not like them. I think we should listen to them.

At the moment lavatory provision is arguably biased against women

No arguments here, providing "the same amount" for both isn't appropriate. Female toilets - in higher-footfall areas at least - require more real estate than men's due to both time taken as you said and cubicles taking up more space than urinals. That they don't always get this space is nothing more than poor (probably male-led) design.

The problem with insufficient women's toilets isn't the presence of gender-neutral toilets, it's the lack of women's toilets.

This means that even with current provision women have to queue longer – something we have all seen at gigs and theatre events.

Sure. I've seen plenty of gents' toilets at concerts over the years containing more women than blokes. Probably because of the previous point.

Women also generally prefer women only lavatories.

[Citation needed.]

As women generally don’t like mixed sex toilets

[Citation needed.]

(sex (not gender or gender identity) is a protected characteristic under the 2010 equality act).

Interesting that you felt it necessary to make that distinction. You're aware that gender reassignment is also a protected characteristic under that self same act, yes?

mixed sex lavatories is about 1000th on the things that personally bother me

Why does it personally bother you at all? Don't like them, don't use them.

but many, many women do not like them. I think we should listen to them.

[Citation needed.] The evidence we have presented to date on this thread is that one woman doesn't like them.

I don't like football, I square this circle by not watching football rather than trying to ban it.