Gender specific one person bathrooms... Guideline or rule?

[hoosierdoc]

I used the ladies' room at Subway yesterday as my boys had to pee and the guys was busy. On a recent trip my son had some trouble in the car and I had to clean him up in the bathroom. Guys was busy so I used the women's one. One person tried the handle, I said "hello", one minute later an employee used a key to unlock and open the door. Not even a knock before unlocking it.

Since we don't follow no-gun signs in Indiana, do we follow gender control signs for single-person bathrooms?

 

[BogWalker]

I wouldn't feel comfortable with it personally, but I really don't see anything wrong with it. The whole point of gender specific bathrooms is to prevent peeping, right? So if it's a one person bathroom that rationale kind of goes down the drain. I've seen lots of places with one person bathrooms marked with both genders on the sign.

 

[shibumiseeker]

If I gotta go I gotta go. Otherwise I stick with the men's room.

 

[Stschil]

Yes, if anyone complains I just tell them I'm a Liberal.

 

[Principal Skinr]

I'd hate to leave the aromatic carnage behind in the restroom belonging to the fairer sex, but hey, if it is a three alarm emergency, then its better to say I'm sorry than be sorry.

 

[sepe]

I just yell "Don't worry, I'm blind" every single time I walk into any public bathroom. I don't care which one I use even if it has a row of crappers. If I did care, I'd only use the men's room because the "fairer sex" usually has a much more disgusting row of thrones...with the hovering and all.

 

[hoosierdoc]

The question was specifically for single-person areas like a small restaurant/gas station. Though at Franklin Aquatic Center they seem to have a unisex multi-stall bathroom in the snack area. I wasn't real sure what to do there. It also has the wide gaps in stall enclosure to make things even more awkward.

 

[SEIndSAM]

It also depends on how busy the gas station is. If someone is camped out in the mens room and the place isn't busy, I'll use what ever is available. If the place is busy, I will wait until it reaches emergency status.

 

[Wild Deuce]

I was at the United Center (Chicago) one day with my wife and kids ... many, many, years ago. We were there for a children's show (non-sporting event). I had to hit the head during one of the intermissions. There was a fair amount of guys in there but some stalls were open and some urinals were open. All of a sudden I hear female voices. Three females come walking in with their little kids. They rush over to two open stalls and start shuttling in the little rugrats to do their business in one of the stalls while the ladies take turns in the other stall. They didn't say a word to the guys or look at anyone. Just rushed in ... rushed out. On my way back to my seat I noticed the line to the ladies restroom was overflowing into the concourse with ladies and hordes of little kids.

 

[Birds Away]

Where do any of them say "one person"?

 

[Double T]

I have used the female bathrooms before to change my kids. Women get pissy if they have to wait, but when they saw me bringing out a kiddo it subsided. Also, they don't get mad when a man cleans them either for some reason so long as a sign is up and it's closed.

 

[hoosierdoc]

In the Montego Bay airport, they had women cleaning the bathroom while you used the urinals. Strange.

 

[Brandon]

Did it all the time when I was in delivery. Mens always a line but the womens never had a line. Funny after how one person does it, half the line moves to the womens bathroom.

 

[jake blue]

In the single occupant situation, if there is a ladies room available I will use it if the need is urgent enough. In a multiple occupant situation, I would never knowingly use the ladies room for reasons of discretion. The reason America is so obsessed with gender-specific restrooms is due to our obsession with sexuality. That being said, I did inadvertently enter a ladies restroom one time in an airport. Since restrooms are usually adjacent to one another, as I approached the first entrance I saw the female icon so I proceeded to go around the corner to the other entrance without realizing it also simply lead into the other side of the ladies restroom. Fortunately no one was in there anyways or I am sure I would have immediately recognized my blunder and hot-footed it out of there. On the other side of the equation, I used to be a member of a fitness center which employed a female housekeeping staff and they would routinely clean the male locker rooms while the male (ahem) members were present, including the shower area. I'm not sure which disturbs men more... other men seeing them naked or a female stranger seeing them naked. In any case, I am positive that the reverse gender role would never be tolerated so the only issue I had with it is the perceived double-standard.

What a great topic!

 

[Stschil]

Has anyone else picked up on the fact that the 'I'll do it as a last resort' in the poll is a long yellow stream???

 

[88GT]

I never did understand the separation by sex when bathrooms were single occupant. The only reason I oppose mixed use in single occupant restrooms is the inability to aim.

 

[Stschil]

I never did understand the separation by sex when bathrooms were single occupant. The only reason I oppose mixed use in single occupant restrooms is the inability to aim.

I have seen the results of many a female 'shooter' who doesn't practice her steady hold factors, 88GT. It's not purely a male issue.

 

[wildhair]

Pittston man charged with climbing in toilet | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

 

[jfed85]

I once had to go so bad that I couldn't handle it anymore. Had the rumbling gut and all, I was standing at the mens waiting for the person in there to finish their business and I couldn't wait anymore. Went for the women's, an employee says "sir, that's the women's restroom". I didn't even break stride while saying "would you rather clean it off the floor". So ya...when I gotta go, I go.

 

[singlesix]

Well this doesn't seem to be an issue in Holland and after a few visits I got use to seeing females in the same common area, they all had stalls with doors to the toilets. The first time I walked in and saw two females washing their hands ... I must had the funniest look on my face because they both busted out laughing. I didn't understand what they said, but it must be alone the lines of stupid naive American.