New York college moves to strip gender markings from all bathrooms

[steve2470]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/29/gender-bathrooms-cooper-union-college-new-york

Last fall, the oldest building on the Cooper Union campus underwent a sudden renovation. A group of students, agitating for their transgender classmates, stripped the words “men” and “women” off the doors of the Foundation Building’s restrooms.

The act expressed years of pent-up frustration that in lower Manhattan, at one of the most liberal colleges in the country, students who failed to conform to gender norms nevertheless risked harassment whenever they went to the bathroom.

But then, the unexpected happened. The signs were never replaced. And in an apparent first for a US college, the Cooper Union administration this month moved to remove the gender designations from all the bathrooms on campus by taking down the rest of the men’s and women’s signage from bathrooms.

To the students involved, it was victory.

[revbones]

1. Question: How will people know which bathroom to go into now?

Answer: the one with the shortest line.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. Most zoning laws

place men's rooms on the left

[closeupready]

2. As long as the college is willing to face more liability from claims

related to the failure to segregate genders in areas where students are more vulnerable.

[Nye Bevan]

3. For men, it would still be helpful to know which bathrooms contain urinals.

If you only want to do a number one a urinal is quicker and more environmentally friendly than a stall. For a number two, either bathroom would of course be fine.

[fullautohotdog]

5. Maybe a picture of a urinal? n/t

[Kang Colby]

4. What?

I don't think they should let men into the ladies' crapper or vice versa.

Imagine meeting that special guy or gal in the dining hall, only to have them recognize you "painting the bowl" ten minutes later because you had too much canned corn for dinner. Yikes. It sounds like they didn't think this through.

[csziggy]

6. A number of businesses here in Florida have three restroom choices

They use universal signage so there are the little women signs, little men signs and then restrooms with wheelchairs, big people and little people all on one sign. I think the original idea was for them to be "family" restrooms so parents of either gender could take in their children of either gender in with no problems. But they also expand the options - additional spaces for handicapped patrons and restrooms for all comers with no questions asked. Another convenience is that there is always a place available when one or the other of the gender specified restrooms is being cleaned.

I first saw these at some of the health clinics but Publix supermarkets are now putting them in all their new and remodeled stores where possible.

[romanic]

7. What happened to unisex bathrooms?

[lapislzi]

16. I still have one in my house.

I know for a fact that a cis male uses it several times daily. His naked cis male butt sits on the same seat that my cis female butt sits on. I am not damaged by this knowledge in any way that I can determine.

I have seen a man urinating and it has not hurt me in the least.

[So Far From Heaven]

8. I wonder how the women will feel once the guys trash all the bathrooms. (nt)

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

10. As someone who had to clean public restrooms in a park....

....many moons ago, you got those roles reversed.

[Separation]

11. So true

A couple of times I've been reprimanded and forced to clean the heads. I can attest to the filthiness of the women's bathroom compared to the men.

Maybe it's just military women? 😁😁

[So Far From Heaven]

12. You know we're probably gonna be in real trouble

bringing this up either way, right?

[awoke_in_2003]

14. Been there, done that

In my experience the women's room is messier

[romanic]

15. I used to work as a janitor before my current job.

The reverse is definitely true. The women's restrooms were always the filthiest. I still remember the little sanitary boxes (that hold used tampons, etc) being odious and hard to clean, especially during the "flow" season. D:

[Jeffersons Ghost]

9. OP soude a bit racy 2 me... I like it

[snooper2]

17. So does each get a urinal and a toilet now, or it is just luck of the draw?