One of the government’s latest soap box stances is to make sure that there are separate male and female toilets in new builds, which are classed as non-domestic or public buildings.

Over the last 10 years non designated toilets have become more common. Most people do not think about physical or mental well being when using a public toilet, but for transgender and gender-nonconforming people, the potential danger and stress of using single sex facilities is all too frequent. These unisex facilities also mean that parents of children can accompany them without issue.

Research has shown that some employees go to extreme lengths to reorganize their day to avoid using the facilities at work for fear of intimidation. This can have health side effects including dehydration, kidney pain or dysfunction and urinary infections.

Those who completed the questionnaires mention that they face harassment, which then can affect work performance their happiness and causes anxiety, depression, and social isolation.

The governments spokesperson states they need to “protect and enhance single sex spaces” Apparently according to the UK government there are “dignity and privacy concerns from women and elderly people who feel they are being unfairly disadvantaged as publicly accessible toilets are increasingly being converted into gender neutral facilities.” It goes on to say “It is important that everybody has privacy and dignity when using public facilities. Yet the move towards ‘gender neutral’ toilets has removed this fundamental right for women and girls.”

The move seems to be ensuring that separate male and female toilets are built so there can be several stalls in the facilities, but all can only be used by the same sex. Gender-neutral toilets will only be allowed “when lack of space allows only a single toilet”.

Groups representing architects have deemed this a “backwards step”. “despite 83 per cent of respondents (a UK nationwide survey) being in support of non-gendered toilets, the government has pressed ahead with unprecedented new regulations, that will threaten the safety of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly those who are trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming or visibly queer,”

“As we feared, the proposals will make so-called ‘single-sex’ spaces the baseline legal requirement, leaving toilets that are free and safe for all to use as an optional extra ‘if space allows’.”