Westminster Govt: ‘Gender neutral toilets no longer an option in England’

Every new public building in England will be required to provide single-sex toilets, the Government has confirmed.

Bringing forward previously announced regulations, Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch said clear guidance was urgently needed to protect people from having “their privacy violated”.

The changes, pending a short technical consultation, will ensure single-sex toilets or self-contained unisex facilities are installed in all new non-domestic buildings.

Biological sex

Mrs Badenoch said: “It is important that everybody has privacy and dignity when using public facilities.”

“Yet”, she continued, “the move towards ‘gender neutral’ toilets has removed this fundamental right for women and girls.”

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph following the announcement, Mrs Badenoch further explained that ‘gender neutral’ toilets had resulted in men and women using the same toilet cubicles and hand washing facilities.

In some instances, she said, urinals had been fitted in the same space, “supposedly to accommodate anyone who identifies as a gender different from their biological sex”.

Not ‘transphobic’

The Equalities Minister continued: “Unisex toilets are very different to ‘gender neutral’ facilities. A unisex toilet is similar to a bathroom in a family home: a fully enclosed room with a handbasin and lockable door.”

“Providing a unisex option means transgender people have a private facility where they won’t be subject to invasive questions, and they should be accessible so disabled people can use them with greater ease.”

She contended that it was wrong for a “vocal minority of activists” to dismiss those who argued for single-sex spaces as “transphobic”.

“Women should have exclusive access to public toilet facilities reserved specifically for them. Men should have the same.” She added: “The sign on the door should clearly tell you what to expect.”