We have been having a discussion in work amongst us and coming up with nothing…

My office doesn’t provide a bike facility other than a place to lock the bike in the underground car park. When you come in in your cycling gear, I would have normally gotten changed in the Disabled Toilet, into my work clothes and then done the reverse when it’s time to go home. But in the recent months the disabled toilet is now being used for the purposes intended.

Above us, in another “office” if you will, there are another set of toilets – male, female and a disabled toilet. The disabled is locked and the male isn’t cleaned or supplied, but the women’s is in full working order.

If you were to use the women’s facilities (as a man) would you get in trouble? There are no women who would be using this facility and in most cases, it is just a place to get changed? Is there a law or anything or is it just “mutually agreed” that men go to the men’s and women to the womens?

If it’s multiple toilets then if a women is also in there you could get into trouble if it’s single unit then don’t see any problems

Speak to the owner of the toilets, explain what you want and ask them to designate it as unisex. Unless it has multiple traps this should be a solution.

Can’t you just wait for the disabled toilet to become available?

My wife had a ‘discussion’ with a man in the ladies wc’s at the Excel in London yesterday.

He was insisting it was the mens, she the womens.

He didn’t seem to think that the presence of approximately 20 other women in there weakened his argument at all.

It’s not so much the disabled toilet is busy, more that if I am in there I don’t want to have to rush out to let the person(s) in.

Re: the multiple traps, the women’s has 3 stalls and then a wash-basin area. But as I say, it isn’t used so there would be a very small opportunity for a woman to walk in and get a fright :).

Unless it has multiple traps this should be a solution

numerous pubs/clubs seem to have unisex bathrooms now, surely if it’s officially designated unisex no-one will mind however many stalls in there…?

Women seem quite happy to use the men’s when their is a queue for the ladies, it would seem sexist if the same level of hospitality didn’t apply both ways.

Above us, in another “office” if you will, there are another set of toilets – male, female and a disabled toilet. The disabled is locked and the male isn’t cleaned or supplied, but the women’s is in full working order.

Why not use the gents or disabled? why are they locked / not supplied?

The building is divided into 2 floors with our office occupying the bottom floor. The upper floor has no company in it. At the entrances there is a toilet area and this layout is the same for both levels (upstairs and downstairs) – male/female/disabled on both floors.
Downstairs, where I work, it is a busy hive and therefore not an option to get changed here. Upstairs is completely vacant and thus seems the obvious choice.
Since no companies are using those toilets I am hoping to use them.

give the gents upstairs a clean yourself and put your own supplies in?

Our changeing room was unisex, with one shower and 2 lots of foot washing facilities for the prayer room. But then a number of cycling people just get in early and strip in the office, or if they’re late then they do it behind the filling cabinets!

Surely you have just as much right to use the ‘toilet’ facilities as the disabled person?

Why should you be in a rush to get out when they need a dump?

I dunno. I would feel a bit embarrassed to be fair – since you have the choice of using multiple facilities and that person can only use the one lavatory that you happen to be in.

Why can you not use the downstairs gents?

I dunno. I would feel a bit embarrassed to be fair – since you have the choice of using multiple facilities and that person can only use the one lavatory that you happen to be in.

I see what you;re saying, but what would happen if you had 2 people in the company requiring the use of such facilities. Surely at some point there’d be a queue? Bloody hell, we’ve 8 traps for the gents here and we end up with a queue at times…

I dunno. I would feel a bit embarrassed to be fair – since you have the choice of using multiple facilities and that person can only use the one lavatory that you happen to be in.

How many disabled people are in your company? If it’s only one or two, why not ask them if they mind? It’s not like you’re going to be sitting in there all morning, is it?

It’s not so much the disabled toilet is busy, more that if I am in there I don’t want to have to rush out to let the person(s) in.

Who cares? If you were one of two disabled people would you rush out too? Unless you take forever gettign changed? Takes me all of 2 minutes to swap clothes and have a wet-wipe wash.

I dunno. I would feel a bit embarrassed to be fair – since you have the choice of using multiple facilities and that person can only use the one lavatory that you happen to be in.

In that case, use the mens?

I don’t see why we have unisex toilets anyway, it’s a joke.

Why can you not use the downstairs gents?

Because there are only 2 stalls and they are very tight – which means I have to get changed outside of the stalls. There is a high amount of traffic meaning I would continually have to move out of the way and move my gear. It is also about 30+ degrees, so in addition to the warm stench of sh*t I’d be sweaty enough without adding to the heat.

The law if using a womens WC is that you have to piss in the sink.

I’ve used the mens in clubs and whatever when there’s a massive que. Mind you, how you stand the smell is beyond me.

Use the disabled when it’s not being used would be my plan I think

Mind you, how you stand the smell is beyond me

what exactly was it that you did?

Mind you, how you stand the smell is beyond me.

Quite agree. Never really figured out why they need to smell so badly.

Change the signs over on the upstairs mens/ladies

The only downside to changing in the toilets is when the person before you drops a bomb – y’know, the kind which makes your stomach turn.

Why not make an out of order sign and stick it to the door of the ladies when you go in and remove it when you leave.

Why not make an out of order sign and stick it to the door of the ladies when you go in and remove it when you leave.

Haha I like your style 🙂

Unlock the upstairs disabled toilet and use that.

Change the signs over on the upstairs mens/ladies

That – or, changes the signs to read ” Cyclists Welfare Unit”

Personally I think its fine to use the ladies to get changed so long as you come back out dressed as a woman and explain to your colleagues that they are just going to have to accept you for who you are.