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spen666

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1064870/University-renames-gents-toilets-urinals--avoid-upsetting-transexual-students.html

University renames 'gents' as 'toilets with urinals' - to avoid upsetting transgender students
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:23 PM on 30th September 2008
Comments (7) Add to My Stories Anyone caught short at Manchester University will have to decide whether to use the 'toilets' or the 'toilets with urinals' after the women's and men's were re-named to avoided offending transgender students.
The change was made in the university's Students' Union after a number of transgender women claimed they were uncomfortable using men’s loos.
A sign reading 'Toilets with urinals' was duly placed over the traditional 'stick man' symbol while a 'Toilets' sign replaced the women's graphic.
The gents sign on the toilets at Manchester University has been plastered with a temporary sign to make it 'gender-neutral'
The university’s women's officer Jennie Killip told the student newspaper, Student Direct: 'Toilets are very much, you know, for boys and for girls, so we’ve taken away that overtly gendered aspect.
'A trans-student who does not identify themselves as a man would have to face abuse and violence if they used the "other" toilet.'
Speaking to the BBC, she said: 'If you were born female, still present quite feminine, but define as a man you should be able to go into the men's toilets - if that's how you define.
'You don't necessarily have had to have gender reassignment surgery, but you could just define yourself as a man, feel very masculine in yourself, feel that in fact being a woman is not who you are.'
But some female students said they were unhappy with the decision.
One said: 'Girls might not want to use the same toilets as boys, so then you just end up with people complaining about that - so you can't really win.'
Another said: ‘I personally wouldn't want to be in the same toilet as a man."
The university’s newspaper last week criticised the new ‘gender-neutral’ facilities.
Almost 60 people, including Ms Killip, have signed a letter to the student newspaper criticising the editorial.
Newspaper spokeswoman Susannah Birkwood said: 'The toilets have been provided for men who don't self identify as men and women who don't think of themselves as women.
'Whether or not this is political correctness gone mad… it certainly seems that way to some members of our student community.'
Writing on the paper's website one angry student said:

'I agree that this is a complete waste of time and money. I am sure the Union will now be flooded with complains from its female students about the state the toilets are left in by the men.'
It is unknown how many transgender or transexual students attend the university, nor how many had complained.

idaviesmoore

I'd say it was 'The Thin End Of The W edge' but O don't want to sound sizist :roll:

Crapaud

... 'A trans-student who does not identify themselves as a man would have to face abuse and violence if they used the "other" toilet.' ...

It's obligatory then?

:shock:

pneumatic

No, this is just plain wrong. Not on the grounds of politics, just practicality.

After you have had a few jars, you need to know where you are heading. I've been in those clever pubs where they entertain themselves by messing up the signage:

The Ancient Briton in St Albans used to have "Benskins" on the one for people with hose attachments and "Babycham" for those without. Consequently, my sister (or sibling with no hose), who knows nothing about beer (but only because she is differently knowledgable) came rushing out of the Benskins in a state of shock and said there were blokes peeing in the basins.

The Swan at West Peckham (actually a very fine pub indeed) is let down by the affectation of labelling its (in)conveniences after some gendered reference to birds of that ilk (cobs and somethingorother, I don't know). I just had to wait outside with my legs crossed until someone came out of one of the doors to give me a clue. It never even occured to me that it might be a transgendered pedant!

OffTheBackAdam

Cobs & Pens dear boy!
Don't you know your swans?
It's the typical, bloody stupid student union, political nonsense.
We get it speading into the productive bits of society, because the same bloody stupid lefty students who run these unions, go straight into politics as "researchers", then start slithering there way up until they achieve their goal of being an MP (Hopefully a Minsiter!) and the gold-plated pension that goes with it.
No work experience required.

redddraggon

Manchester Student Union is run by idiots. They fail on many things...... I avoid the student union (and Oxford Road generally) because of the idiots that seem to congregate outside.

All the normal students don't vote in elections (me included), so no normal people bother standing because they know they won't get voted in.

pneumatic

Ah, Red, but the problem you then have is that, because no normal student votes for or gets into student politics, the crazies are the ones that have the ear of the University authorities who are themselves generally too busy to consult the student voice through any other channel.

In a previous life, I used to run a university and had some depressingly surreal tussles with the student reps over things that really shouldn't have mattered.

However, don't despair, in many cases it is just part of the learning experience for them. I recently met one of my previous adversaries in an airport lounge. He was very sensible, much more rounded and humble and took the trouble to apologise for all the times he had made my busy life miserable.

We are mostly pretty clumsy as teenagers, it is just part of the process of growing up.

fuzzynavel

That is just Feckin rediculous....

When are the changing rooms becoming gender neutral.....then we will be able to join the lesbo love sessions that go on in there according to the videos I saw a few years back in my teen years!!

Captain Fagor

fuzzynavel wrote:

....then we will be able to join the lesbo love sessions that go on in there according to the videos I saw a few years back in my teen years!!

Are you absolutely sure it was a few years ago?

nwallace

Uni-Sex changing has been aroudn for ages, cubicles with doors and locks sort it out.

THe current signs seem to be "Toilets with Urinals" and "Toilets" what bloody use is that? Not all male toilets have Urinals?

The obvious answer is to have cubicles with everything needed that way anyone can use any cubicle. not fiddling with signage.

Do you really not mind some pervy woman caliming to have been born with the wrong bits watching you piss?

sicrow

I saw this on the local news the other night - and i'm paying my taxes for those tossers. The bird (politically correct ) with the green hair is a total pr**k now that's better for those don't know their sex :roll:

meagain

"...lefty students who run these unions, go straight into politics as "researchers", then start slithering there way up until they achieve their goal of being an MP..."

Ain't no political party/grouping (with MPs) for any "lefty" to join. Jack (Man Of) Straw, President NUS as I recall, would have been in whichever Party best suited his ambitions.

don_don

We had a unisex toilet at my (admittedly small) college bar. You made damned sure you washed your hands, especially if a girl you liked was in there at the same time

fuzzynavel

Captain Fagor wrote:

fuzzynavel wrote:

....then we will be able to join the lesbo love sessions that go on in there according to the videos I saw a few years back in my teen years!!

Are you absolutely sure it was a few years ago?

I thought that was what happened in all girls changing rooms......The steam builds up....naked girls see each other shining in the moonlight and then the licking begins....Damn I'm disappointed now!.

Tourist Tony

Spen, remind me NOT to go into the bogs with you again!