Latest news with #toilets
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trans women banned from using women's toilets in parliament
Trans women visiting parliament will be barred from using women's toilets under new guidance, The Independent can reveal. Until now visitors to the estate could use toilets most appropriate for their gender, but new guidance advises them to use toilets based on their biological sex, or gender-neutral facilities – prompting accusations of a 'knee-jerk response'. It comes after barrister Robin Moira White, a trans woman, faced complaints from gender critical campaigners for using the women's facilities while attending a meeting in parliament last week. Following the Supreme Court's April ruling, which said that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission issued draft guidance on a range of topics, including trans people's participation in sport and use of toilets. It was previously understood the Commons was waiting for the publication of the EHRC 's full guidance before updating their policy. However, the same rule had already been introduced into the Scottish Parliament. It is understood that there has been no change to the policy for staff who work on the estate, meaning that trans women employed by parliament would be able to use the women's loos. Parliamentary staff have also been given new guidance on how to direct visitors to the toilets, The Independent understands. If an individual asks where the nearest toilet is, a Commons spokesperson said staff will be told to 'signpost visitors to all available toilets, making it clear that a range of facilities are available.' Last week, The Times reported that the Commons apologised to gender critical campaigners from the LGB Alliance after they raised complaints about Ms White using the women's loos. It comes despite the barrister using a bathroom which was in keeping with Parliament's guidance at the time. On Monday, just days after the row unfolded, the Commons added a new clause to the guidance, with a spokesperson telling The Independent: 'Visitors are subject to the provision of services elements of the Equality Act. As the Supreme Court judgment deals directly with interpretation of the Equality Act 2010 this applies to the provision of toilet facilities for visitors. 'Visitors should therefore use toilet facilities which correspond to their biological sex, or use one of the gender-neutral or accessible facilities that are available'. Speaking to The Independent last week, Ms White asked: 'Is this really what we want the state of the law to be? Where a responsible individual who has accessed parliament for decades now can't use gender appropriate facilities. What harm does that do?' The barrister - who is currently engaging with the EHRC as it formulates its guidance - says the body has 'no clear plan of how this will work'. 'They can't reconcile the Supreme Court judgment with our duties under the human rights convention.' Responding to the updated parliamentary guidance, Steph Richards of TransLucent said: "There are trans women out there who are post-op, with vaginas, who will now be forced to use the mens loos in parliament. We consider this a human rights violation. 'Trans people go through the most difficult journey to start off with, and now having this thrown at them is just awful. This knee-jerk response will cause distress and anxiety for trans people visiting Parliament." Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said: "I respect the fact that the house authorities must comply with the guidance but I feel for all those who will now feel unwelcome visitors in our parliament and the centre of their democracy." "Restaurants, cafes and visitor attractions up and down the country now face similar dilemmas trying to cater for their customers and this just underlines how important it is that the EHRC comes up with clear, workable guidance which protects everyone's rights and privacy', she added. It comes just days after a number of MPs on the women and equalities committee described how 'fearful' trans people had become since the ruling, with claims some feel they might have to quit their jobs in the wake of the guidance, and others saying they had developed UTIs (urinary tract infections) 'because they're scared to use bathrooms without being challenged'. EHRC chief executive John Kirkpatrick said among the things the regulator can do are 'provide some appropriate guidance about how respectfully questions can be asked in the workplace or in services, and so on and so forth, in such a way as to respect privacy and dignity as as far as is possible'. The EHRC guidance consultation period runs until June 30. The final guidance is then expected to be presented to women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson by summer recess in July.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Victoria Embankment Paddling Pool visitors want better toilets
Visitors to a children's paddling pool in Nottingham have criticised the lack of permanent toilets or changing facilities Victoria Embankment Paddling Pool reopened on 22 May following a £750,000 refurbishment to repair leaks and other work did not include the installation of any toilets or changing rooms, and instead there are currently three portable toilets next to the City Council said it "wasn't possible" to provide a permanent toilet with the available funding but it was exploring funding options for the future. Louis Knight, 29, said the facility was "all round positive" for the city but the toilets let it down."I took my daughter in there and it is dirty. There was a piece of excrement on the floor in there," he said."It's great what they're trying to do here, it's all good intentions, but I think having a place to go to the toilet is crucial."He acknowledged a toilet block could attract anti-social behaviour but said this could be countered by regular maintenance and cleaning."Anything's better than just a plastic box," he nearest brick-and-mortar toilets are found at a cafe which is a five minute walk away but they are reserved for customers were public toilets available at the entrance to The Embankment, near Trent Bridge but the Grade-II listed building has been closed for years. James Richards, 71, and his daughter Samantha Richards, 35, said it was "crazy" not to build a toilet alongside the revamped paddling pair used to visit the site when they were younger, before its Richards said she took her little girl to use the temporary toilets and was unhappy with what she encountered."There was wee all over the floor," she said. "So straight away I was in a predicament and had to pick her up."Because it's leaking, because it's not properly in the ground, it's a bit of a mess."She also said not having any changing facilities could be problematic for older children who visit the site."It sounds like you're moaning, but really, you've come here and you just want a nice time," Mr Richards added. Nottingham City Council said there was a cleaning schedule in place to ensure the toilets were regularly local authority said the paddling pool had been "hugely popular" since it opened."Inevitably this does put pressure on toilet facilities," a spokesperson said."We are keeping [the cleaning schedule] under review, particularly with the number of people who will want to enjoy the peel this week in the warm weather.""It wasn't possible to provide a permanent toilet facility with the original funding available to build the pool but we are exploring funding options to see what is possible."
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Scottish schools to convert gender-neutral toilets to single-sex
At least 18 schools across Scotland that previously offered only gender-neutral toilets are to create single-sex facilities following a legal schools in Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Scottish Borders and Shetland plan to change provision by adding separate bathrooms for boys and April, a judge ordered that Scottish schools must provide single-sex toilets for pupils, days after the Supreme Court ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities Scottish government said that local authorities have statutory responsibility for the school estate, including the provision of toilets. Most schools in Scotland offer at least some form of gender neutral bathrooms, but the vast majority also have single-sex rules around gender provision in school toilets have not been updated in almost 60 years since the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967 came into force. Figures obtained by BBC Scotland News by freedom of information requests found 52 schools across 11 council areas offered only gender-neutral those, 10 are located in Shetland, however its local authority said it now plans to provide separate Borders, Aberdeenshire and Argyll and Bute councils are also adding separate councils are yet to confirm whether their schools will comply with the ruling. In April, a couple from the Borders took their local authority to court over the installation of only gender-neutral toilets at the new Earlston Primary judge ruled that mixed-sex schools must have single-sex toilets, but they can have gender neutral toilets in addition to council conceded that they had a legal obligation to provide male and female facilities at a hearing at the Court of Session in following week, East Lothian Council said children in two of their primary schools with gender neutral toilets would be directed to use separate facilities in future. What are other councils doing? Dumfries and Galloway Council said its legal team was considering its position in relation to the court ruling before deciding how to City of Edinburgh Council said it was "considering what changes may need to be made" and would provide an update over the other councils - Clackmannanshire, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, Midlothian and Perth and Kinross - all confirmed they had at least one school in their area which offered no single-sex did not provide an update on any changes to provision since Ayrshire, Moray, Stirling and South Lanarkshire councils said none of their schools offered any gender-neutral provision. Ministers are considering the separate implications of the Supreme Court judgement on the definition of sex, and whether any changes will have to be made to toilet provisions based on May, the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association called on the Scottish government to urgently publish new guidance on how schools should deal with single-sex spaces.
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
People left terrified after discovering what toilets look like on oil rigs
Living and working on an oil rig is hard, dangerous work that keeps you away from home for weeks - and sometimes months - at a time, but it's the toilet situation that has people reeling in terror. Social media users are aghast after videos of toilets that appear to be installed directly above the ocean were shared online, purporting to show how some bathrooms work on offshore oil rigs. In one video shared to TikTok, a toilet bowl and seat is apparently installed on a grid floor, and the surface of the ocean can be seen straight through it. The camera zooms in closer to the water through the toilet bowl where large fish can be seen swimming directly below. Another video, shared on YouTube, shows urinals attached to metal rails on the side of a rig using zip ties, with pipes running straight down into the water below. The YouTube video also shared more clips of toilets that require the user to do their business directly into the sea, with one clip showing simply a triangular-shaped hole in a metal grid floor. Narration over the video explained that these types of toilets were commonly found on 'older offshore oil rigs built around the 1970s or 1980s. 'Bathrooms were designed for waste to go straight into the sea,' the video explained. 'The idea was that the vast ocean ecosystem, including fish, would naturally process it.' However, such toilets are no longer the norm due to environmental concerns. Raw sewage can carry harmful bacteria, viruses and chemicals, which can in turn impact marine life and ecosystems. The idea of doing your business directly into the ocean from several metres high clearly made some people feel a little shaky. Commenting on Instagram, one person wrote: 'Damn I bet [it's[ scary as hell dumping at night.' Imagining the worst, a second person said: 'What if the welding just snapped while you were sitting on it at night?' Or another nightmare scenario would be needing to go to the toilet 'during a bad storm', a third pictured. A common dilemma in regular toilets is people dropping their phone in the bowl by accident. However, a number of commenters pointed out there would be no recovering a phone dropped into this particular toilet. After seeing the fish swimming in the ocean directly under the toilet, some people made a note not to go fishing around an oil rig. 'Makes you want to avoid seafood,' a viewer wrote, adding nauseous emojis to their comment. Viewers imagined how frightening it would be to need to use a toilet like these during bad weather or at night - while some were concerned about the fish swimming directly under it On TikTok, one person asked: 'Where is this? I wanna make sure I don't eat wild-caught fish from that area.' There was only bad news, though, as the reply came: 'The fish from this part of the sea get shipped all over the world so chances are you've probably already eaten one!' While the bathroom situations on oil rigs vary significantly, many have proper flushing toilets and sinks to ensure good hygiene among the crew. A TikTok content creator Mosey, who goes by the handle @rmoseyr, previously shared insights into what life is like on offshore rigs. In one of his videos, he showed fans a proper bathroom on the platform, complete with a toilet seat and lid, flush, and a sink. However, he claimed that the waste goes straight into the ocean. 'Straight out of here, into the drink,' Mosey wrote in his caption. But others commented that all sewage gets 'treated before being pumped overboard'. Offshore oil rigs require specialised sewage treatment facilities to meet regulatory requirements and protect the marine environment. Over on Reddit, people who have worked on offshore oil rigs discussed how different they can be depending on where in the world they are and the regulations they have to abide by. One person who said they had worked on rigs in Saudi Arabia wrote: 'Offshore it's just one giant shared bathroom with a row of showers and toilets. No toilet paper, sometimes no toilet seats, just the pit-style toilets.'
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
'Anger' as Arnold's last public toilets often closed
Residents say it is "disgusting" that the last remaining toilets in a town in Nottinghamshire are often block at King George V Recreation Ground recently became the only toilet provision in Arnold after the closure of the Wood Street toilets because of "lewd behaviour".Tara Blencowe, 51, uses the park and said there was a recent situation where an elderly man needed to be helped because the toilets were David Ellis, portfolio holder for public protection on Gedling Borough Council, said the facility was frequently vandalised to an "unusable and unsafe" condition which necessitates its closure for repairs. Ms Blencowe, who brings her grandson to the park, said: "It's totally put me off coming because there's no toilet facilities or baby changing facilities that I can access."She visited the park on Monday and said she had to walk half-a-mile (800m) to use a supermarket toilet instead, which she said would be problematic in emergency situations."People will be put off visiting unless [the council] say 'yes we are going to open these toilets' and stick to their word," she said. Denise, 53, brings her great nieces to the park after school. She says being forced to pay to use the toilet at nearby coffee shops makes her visits "expensive"."I think [the closures are] a bit heavy-handed because it's caused by a minority," she added."I know they have had problems here but I think it's unfair to the rest of the people."Her eight-year-old great-niece Kairah says it makes her feel "upset" when the toilet is closed."Last time we went there [when it was open] it was filled with drink bottles and it didn't flush," she said. Ellis acknowledged that people "aren't getting their money's worth" because of the frequent said the toilet and sink had been designed to resist damage, however, vandals were instead blocking them with paper and starting fires inside the toilet its status as the last public toilet in the town, he said the council would fight to keep it open despite the rise in maintenance costs."The council does as best as it can to try and keep them clean, tidy, and open, but sometimes it's an uphill battle," he said."We know young people want to get out and do things, but vandalising a public toilet causes lots of inconvenience to everybody."
