Well, it's weird. We'll put up with it on an airplane and a bus and a train when we know it's just infeasable to have separate facilities. But I think we'd flip out if there was just one big bathroom at Denny's. I guess it has to do with real estate, just like the thing said -- if there is enough room for separate facilities, we certainly expect separate facilities. We can forgive a little hole-in-the-wall bar for having a single crapper. But a stadium or a theater? Need those separate facilities.

I'm trying to picture a large theater sized bathroom facility with multiple stalls that can be used by both sexes. I'm having difficulty -- it's just weird to poop in earshot of women. If the cubicles were soundproofed, and the only interaction came at the sinks, that would be a lot easier to stomach, I think.

I lived in Korea for 2 years (it felt like 100) and they have unisex bathrooms everywhere. There is a line of urinals along one wall and a line of stalls along the other. It seems to work OK but in a third world kind of way. Even in the mens rooms there, you always have some old hag with a mop and a bucket watching you piss. I don't think it will ever flush in the USA because of all the howls of protest from supposedly enlightened and liberated women.
C Everett Poop

If the cubicles were soundproofed, they'd be pretty much airlocked too! I don't really agree that that would be easier to stomach - I shudder at the thought! Unisex bathrooms could just encourage bizarro men to stick around to perv on girls... and just so we're all clear, that's BAD. I also think you'd find less women would want to use a public toilet if there were men in there. In my opinion, women tend to be more embarassed about crapping in the company of the opposite sex. The current bathroom setup gives people a safe haven away from the opposite sex. How many women would leave a date to "freshen up" if there was a possibility he could say "I'll join you!"? Women have a whole other world in there, what with their girl-girl conspiracy, girly make-up procedures and freaky-deaky hygiene products... despite previous tales to the contrary (e.g. "The Fairer Sex"), I still like to believe it's a paradise of cleanliness and innocence. Unisex bathrooms would shatter that illusion.

Nothing wrong if it is a single room with a lockable door. But there are many good reasons to segregate genders when you're talking multi-porcelain facilities. Can you imagine, for example, what would happen if boxers went to the same corner between rounds?

Enlightened and liberated women still have to deal, at least in this country where we have our fair share of bigoted rednecks, with men who would peek under the stall partitions. And don't forget that 95% of the world's serial killers live in the US. A large percentage of them prey on women. We have almost 10 times the rapes that countries like Germany have, and those are just the reported ones.
As one of those enlightened women, I still would be a bit leery at sitting in a unisex restroom with my pants down around my ankles if I didn't know who was on the other side of the stall door. I'd probably use one if I had to, but I may have my Fox 5.3 Pepper Spray out and pointed at the space between the wall and the floor.
Now, if it was a world of Daves and Big Wipers and other decent men poopreporters, I wouldn't be afraid of such things......hugging bunnies since 1969

Um....I don't get stage fright, that is, unless I am on an actual stage (kind of put a crimp in my "rock star" career, puking before every set), but I'm not sure I could perform with women listening in, or worse yet (no doors scenario) gazing at me as I grunt, push, and otherwise pop several veins gleefully pushing spackle out my butt. oh yeah, POOPIN' IS COOL!!!

I also believe that multi-stall unisex bathrooms are dangerous as it gives rapists an easy way to commit their crime without being identified. The way things are now, people usually notice when a guy enters a women's restroom.

In New York a law was passed recently mandating more ladies rooms in newly contructed and renovated buildings.I believe if you have 2 mens rooms you must have 4 ladies rooms.The theory is that ladies take longer and they want to shorten the lines.We have unisex rest rooms but men and women are not in there at the same time.There was a bar in NYC called McSorelys that was forced to allow women after many years of being males only.They had a unisex bathroom but the stall doors went almost from ceiling to floor so no perverts could peak.The ladies walked by the urinals but they had total privacy in the stalls as did men.If a lady dropped trou and peed in a urinal I did not see it.

I don't think most people today would be able to cope with a unisex restroom. It's also not really necessary in the USA either.

However, from a personal standpoint, I do think it would serve a lot to de-mystify the sexes to each other. Men have all these silly myths about us. It would be hilarious as a social experiment to monitor people's reactions to a unisex bathroom, and have a sort of confession booth afterwards about what people thought of it, like a reality show or something. It may even serve to lessen perverted issues with men, because damn, after you've smelled enough female (or male!) crap you aren't really thinking about sex. I could see some perv sneaking into a unisex restroom hoping to score some sweet poontang, only to slink out again after smelling what can emanate from a woman's ass.

As for my personal view, I don't think a unisex restroom would bother me. I've been known to do my business in a public restroom (usually at work) with a male janitor in there. The janitor didn't care because he didn't have to interrupt his job, and I didn't care because I didn't have to hold it in anymore or look for another damn bathroom. Personally, I think it would be sweet to be able to crap in the midst of men instead of women; I would love to experience the cross-stall convo or poop camaraderie that guys have related on this site, or be able to tease my fellow poopers about their loud farts without getting a strange look, and that is very hard to come by in the female world. But that's just me. I'm much more comfortable around guys, and find it very difficult to be friends with other women. Those who have been my friends have almost always been Shameless Shitters and/or farters, and not prissy girly-girl types.

It wouldn't bother me, but like Daphne said, there are some scary people out there. I don't have issues with sharing the bathroom with anyone, but it's the people themselves who could be an issue. I think the main problem is just that it is too private - that is, bathrooms tend to be deserted or forgotten when one isn't using them - so disaster could strike.

As for the one-seater, as far as I'm concerned they are all unisex. I use whatever's available if I know it's one of those.

Its a bad idea. Would you want your little girl walking into a mens restroom by herself..... this is what it would be like if she had to use a public restroom which was for both sexs and there dident happen to be any femail users arround.

Where are all the stories about corn?

ARE YOU NUTS?? THE TOILET SEAT ISSUE COMES INTO PLAY HERE!!! WE WOULD NEVER AGAIN HAVE IT DOWN THE WAY WE NEED IT AND THAT WOULD SUCK, IT SUCKS ENOUGH AT HOME BUT OUT TOO?? NO THANK YOU

That's true, Turd77, but I figure these unisex bathrooms would have urinals in them.
Anyway, cleanliness and that general state of the bathroom would be the least of my concerns because, like I said before, I'd be too afraid there would be a sexual predator in the next stall.

I wonder if you would get any of those chicks who can pee in urinals. Talk about freaking the guys out!
I can't remember, but doesn't Shit Volcano have the ability to do that?.....hugging bunnies since 1969

I have mixed opinions about this issue. Unisex bathrooms would affect both men and women. Most men are less self conscious than women about bodily functions, and would not have much trouble to shit with the opposite sex. Peeing in urinals would not be an issue for men, since most are used to pee in the open, like in the bushes, in restrooms with female attendants, or even in open air street urinals, but it could also be the most sensitive part of the issue since it would lead to potentially dangerous situations were women would feel offended or threatened if they think a man is flashing his privates. Women in general would have more trouble than men adapting to a unisex scheme. Women tend to see the bathroom as a safe haven from men and a place were they can gossip with other women about girl only subjects. Also women in general are much more self conscious than men about bodily functions. Farting and shitting in the presence of men would be unbearable to many women. It´s not the case with men. Finally although bodily functions are not quite sexual, it is difficult for a guy not to be aroused while peeing in a urinal holding his penis and seeing a cute chick enter a stall and drop her panties. Or do you think a guy would be comfortable to take a dump in the presence of his date? or a man in the presence of his mother or vieceversa? I think the bathroom levels people and in general when we talk about single gender bathrooms there is not much problem. Even a guy can take a dump in the presence of his boss. But could a woman take a dump in the presence of her subordinates for example? I don´t think so. My conclusion is that unisex bathrooms would tend to reinforce the fact that going to the bathroom is not sexual in any way but they would also lead inevitably to some embarrasing situations for some people, particularly women.

I see nothing wrong with unisex bathrooms. When I was a kid I was baffled by the fact that public restrooms that separated men from women. In pre-school we all just went in the same bathroom. With stalls to block views of our naughty bits from prudes there should be no problem.

Remember when people debated a similar issue, but with color playing the same role as sex? People shuddered at the thought of using the can after a "dirty" black man's ass had touched it. The fact that woman feel the same way about men show that feminist fight for equal rights, unless it discomforts them to do so.
In my school, for example, the females have a wall-to-wall mirror, hand sanitizer, a big couch for when you're waiting for a stall, and sometimes even free hair products. The guys have a line of urinals with no dividers and a couple doorless stalls. That seems very unfair to me.
As for the peeping tom issue, or the higher rate percentage, I really don't think unisex bathrooms would make it easier for either of those villains. If a man wants to rape a woman in the bathroom, he could just wait in the female bathroom until an unsuspecting lady comes in. If there are other people around to say "Hey that sleezy guy in a sky mask entered that bathroom!", then the rape wouldn't happen anyways - too many witnesses.
Honestly, for all the fighting that is being done for equality between sexes, it bewilders me that nobody is asking for equality in restrooms. And don't even try that "Seperate but equal" thing. Americans have been there, done that, and we left the 1960's the better for it.

Well, both the mens and the womens bathrooms are already splattered with shit, and they both are already messy anyways. I wouldn't see why unisex bathrooms would be a problem.

Two typing errors in my above post:
Line 13, "rate" should read as "rape".
Line 19, "sky" should be "ski".
Might make my rant more legible.

I agree with Fernado. I don't think the unisex bathroom thing would work. There are sexual preadators out there that would cause problems and "Doing Your Buisness" infornt of there opisite sex such as your date would be akward for most people including me. There might be some benifits to having unisex restrooms though, but, I think that there are more negitives than positives. Someone would ruin it for every one.

unisex bathrooms are realy no big deal men and women are alike in some ways so it could be a little different, we even wipe the same .

Are you saying I wipe like a girl, "yup"?

No i'm trienig to say to your as were diffent were realy somewhat the same

(Attempted English translation by Moderator: "No. I'm trying to say to you that even though we're in ways different, we're also somewhat the same.")

Haha! I love you moderators. You help me understand!

i think fernando makes a good point. however, he seems to be forgetting that men are just as bad as women when it comes to the whole "girls don't poop" thing. i believe that just as many men would have a problem with being in the same room as a woman when she's doing her business, because it would shatter their illusions of women never pooping.

i think i've said this before, but i'll go ahead and say it again. maybe if so many men didn't want to delude themselves into believing women don't poop, more women would be comfortable talking about it, and wouldn't pretend that the only reason they go to the bathroom is to look in the mirror and girl talk.

you think about that.

Man society sucks! They put so much weight on going to the bathroom. It's too bad we can't all just use the bathroom and not think about it. Damn humans!

yea! i fuckin' hate humans! death to all humans!

Well, there really isn't any difference between male and female except the sex organs. Since excretion (urinating) kinda involves a sex organ or two(they have dual purposes). That might be the reason why there are toilets for each sex. Remeber sex ed if you had it.
Take that into consideration. Think about it.

Amagen the under the stall pass the paper situation, and is realy time to get over gendar differences.

I think unisex crappers could work just in certain places. For example in bars where people are drunk anyway and they don´t care. I have noticed that some trendy clubs in Europe have a comoon sinks area and all stalls are private so that both a man or a woman can use it without a problem. Only the urinals are in full view but they are placed in such a way that they don´t interfere with the stalls. This is cool since men really don´t have trouble when pissing and women in clubs are more tolerant. I don´t think such a crapper would work in a more conservative setting.

I'd have to disagree with one comment you made, Fernando. Although I don't usually have 'bashful kidney,' I think there is a percentage of men who do and cannot use urinals. They use stalls instead.

In a unisex setting I think bashful kidney might occur more frequently. It's not true that 'men really don't have trouble when pissing...' If women are in the crapper walking around, I believe a percentage of men would definitely feel uncomfortable.

If you use unisex toilets in Japan, you may get the rare opportunity to see a Sound Princess "poop noise eliminator." Funny, but I wouldn't dare use one (on purpose).
AS for unisex toilets, I have no qualms, but If I were a woman, I probably wouldnt go in there. ha ha

Happy trails,
L. Wrong
Chairman & CEO, PPK Industries

I wouldn't want to use one of those things. Where's the fun? Where's the excitement? I love making noise for everyone in the bathroom!

Re: my earlier comment in this thread about men, bashful kidney and unisex bathrooms. It also occurs to me that even with the best and most careful intentions on the part of the men, women in a unisex facility are bound to catch a glimpse now and then of a guy hanging his out at the urinals or tucking it in or zipping it up.

Is this really necessary? And I'm sure men don't want to be anywhere around tampon-changing activities in public facilities. Cultural expectations of privacy are the main reason to continue to provide separate facilities for the genders in multiple-user restrooms.

It's not just a matter of Shamelessness or Shamefulness, either. It's a matter of practicality. Because male and female anatomies are different. We do go to the bathroom differently, and the public facilities we use must take that into consideration.

Thus, the new regulations in certain public arenas that there be a higher percentage of womens' rooms versus mens'. That's all about the ease of urination (or lack of it) for starters and the fact that women will never want to use those female stand-up urinating devices in large numbers so they can 'hang out' at urinals with men.

Never going to happen.

Shit Volcano's comments is making me laugh. Poopreport should get its best and brighest together for a poop-noise chorus!
First song on the list, handel's messaiah!

Happy trails,
L. Wrong
Chairman & CEO, PPK Industries

it's down wright discimmonation of the sexes

I support unisex, because at many events, men outnumber women, so there is a huge line at the mens, and an underutilized space at the women's.

Other times the opposite happens.

A lot of times the opposite happens. Especially when there are a ton of middle-aged women at an event. They seem to take for-fucking-ever in the bathroom for some reason. Maybe both sexes screaming at them at once would help.

Hell, this will never work folks...

I'm a guy & even I get tired of the idiots who use the toilet instead of a urinal to piss.
Either they put the seat up, but then piss all over the bowl; or they leave the seat down & scattershot over it instead. Hell, I've even seen where more than once some jerk-off pissed on the tank top. One moron sprayed the wall & soaked the paper while it was still on the roll...

I can just imagine the screams from the ladies about finding a similar mess. Ugh.

Around here it seems like the women are always using the Men's Room at music events.
Usually because the line into the Ladies is 3-4x as long as the one into the guy's???
Most guys just use the pissers so no problem with the girls using the shitters. Adds some spice to things.
Heck, I've even seen women giving blowjobs as they sit & piss... lol...

Pissed Off Guy, I'm glad I don't use the men's room. I hate those occasional unisex one stallers where some guy or old person has used it and pissed all over the seat, toilet back, and floor and just left it for me to find.

I don't care if it's a unisex one-staller, as long as it's clean. Plumbing is plumbing. If there's a urinal for the guys, I can ignore that. I mean, you use the same throne at HOME. It's like those "family" bathrooms at the mall. There's a big potty, a little potty, a changing table, and a sink. I don't care if a man and his baby were just in there, as long as me and my baby get to lock the door behind us.

However, I would NOT cotton to a unisex MULTIPLE stall bathroom. That's just wrong.

_______
I CAN'T go to work today. The voices said to stay home and clean the guns!

Unisex bathrooms with urinals are okay, as long as there are a few private stalls. I've used the men's room a few times when the women's was impossible to get near.

The aesthetic amenities are different, but the plumbing basically remains the same...

_______
keeping the whack in tally-ho...
Fartuituos!
Serenshittipy!

As I have mentioned before, going to the bathroom is just a biological function. It´s the opposite of eating and drinking. It´s a digestive (or urinary) function. However society (mainly western) has made it a taboo subject, so shitting is seen as dirty (shit stinks) and vile (shameful). This is of course completely wrong. Although I think we should keep certain modesty regarding our bodily functions particularly in certain environments to respect social conventions, we should liberate ourselves when in an appropiate environment like a public bathroom and be shameless shitters. I´m a man and basically I can tell a guy´s point of view. Public bathrooms are social equalizers. It doesn´t matter if you´re a blue collar or a white collar guy or hispanic or white. There´s a bond between men shitting in acknowledging each others situation. For a few minutes all men are equal. In the case of unisex bathrooms, men and women would be put at the same level regarding bodily functions. Although not sexual, shitting (or pissing) in front of the opposite sex would be unbearable to most women since there´s a girls don´t shit ideal fostered by both genders, and men can´t just accept the fact that a cute chick can fart and shit. Men are less self conscious than woman regarding their own bodily fucntions and shitting would not be a problem for most guys. Urinating is a more controversial issue because if there are urinals some guys might suffer pareusis. However a lot of men use open air urinals like in the U.K. and Amsterdam wihout a problem and I think pee shyness wouldn´t be greater than in a men only setting. A unisex bathroom would work best in an environment of open minded people, like in upscale bars, trendy restaurants, and certain innovative companies. The younger generation tends to be more open minded (in general but there are exceptions), but any place where people accept bodily functions as a natural process, would be a potential location. People who don´t have a prejudice about going to the bathroom and who don´t see the act of relieving yourself as vile. Both men and women are affected but in different ways by a unisex scheme. For men it basically means being more civilized when going to the bathroom. Men should continue to use urinals (guys should not piss in the toilet seat!) so that they leave the stall clean for the women (and men),and washing their hands as a courtesy to the ladies. Men would also have to finally come to terms with the fact that girls shit. In the short term some men could be uncomfortable (or turned on)but in the long run men would get used to it and would not make an issue. On the contrary men would be very respectful of the women and even the other men pooping (and farting). In short, men would continue to see the bathroom as a place to solely do your business (get in, get done, get out) but would be more civilized, cleaner, and more corteous to the other men and women. They would also be less homophobic for obvious reasons, since not only persons of the opposite sex would use a unisex restroom but also persons with a different sexual orientation and transgendered individuals. The unisex scheme reinforces the fact that going to the bathroom is not sexual at all. For women a unisex scheme would mean spending less time in the bathroom and the end of the bathroom as a girl´s only sanctuary where they can chit chat without the men hearing. However that doesn´t mean the end of girl´s combing their hair or checking their make up in the mirror. It just means that girl´s would not see the bathroom as a girl´s only club. A benefit for the women would be the end to long lines since a unisex bathroom makes more efficient use of space and most men would only use the urinals. Women would have to come to terms with urinals. Although some unisex schemes propose only stalls, I think it´s better to keep the urinals for practical purposes. Men are anatomically different than women and a urinal is the most comfortable and efficient way a man can urinate and besides it´s more hygienic for the stall users. Besides urinals could be in a separate area so that genitals are not exposed to women. However the most difficult part for women would be getting used to pooping (and pissing) in the presence of men. However a stall would give more than enough privacy, and for a man it´s more tricky to tell if a woman is defecating or urinating so a woman can just enter a stall and make no issue of it. In the short term many women could be ashamed but in the long term no one would make an issue since it´s obvious for a man that a woman always goes to a stall. For a women seeing a man in a stall immediately tells her that he is defecating however women are not stimulated visually as men and it is the urinals what would be most shocking to them since the penis is exposed. However women would quickly get used to it and besides urinals would mean more benefits to them. In short, men would learn the best of women when going to the bathroom basically being cleaner and women would learn the best of men, namely being faster in the bathroom. Both genders would benefit and there would be a net gain for men and women.

I... I... I can't even wade through all of that. But the words "penis is exposed" pretty much decides it all for me. Personally, there's only one penis I want exposed to me, and it's NOT random strangers' taking a piss. Sorry. I'm JUST not THAT openminded!

I've got used to unisex toilets in my office. I surely don't feel anything when I use them. We have stalls alright, but we also have urinals for women. The women's urinal would be similar to a men's but would not have the commode. We usually squat in a urinal without the commode and relieve ourselves.
I personally don't feel anything wrong about unisex toilets. In fact, I use women's urinals all the time which is just beside the men's urinals. Always a man can see my buttocks in the open and I feel aroused at the thought. I have seen many penises of men and they don't seem to mind. Anyway, I've come in terms with unisex toilets.

Not such a great idea in my opinion. I wouln't want women coming in to see me doing my thing. I'm even scared to use the urinals in the mens room. I only allow one person to see my penis, and I know she wouldn't have bad thoughts about it. Maybe I'm shy for nothing, but oh well.

_______
Practicing the ancient Chinese art of double flushing... because sometimes, a single flush just isn't enough.

Unisex toilets would brake the taboo of going to the bathroom between the sexes. This would make very clear that going to the bathroom is not sexual at all, and people should not be aroused by the other sex while doing their biological functions. Nevertheless for many people going to the bathroom is embarrassing and the reason to segregate the sexes has to do more with modesty for the bathroom taboo than by the sexual aspect.

I am mixed. I feel that unisex bathrooms are ok, if there is just one toilet in the bathroom (IE gas stations, small office buildings, etc). The big problem with that is, some men tend to leave the seat up, piss with the seat down, or worse still, piss like their trying to extinguish a fire (piss everywhere). I am againt muli toilet, unisex bathrooms. These bathrooms open up a Pandora's box. They can attract rapists, tempt some men to spy on the women while they are doing their thing (and to some extent, vice versa), with camera phones it open's up a haven for opposite sexes to record the activities in the next stall, preverts would have a breeding ground to expose themselves, and little girls (and to a much lesser extent, little boys) could be put at risk of molestation,. In a nutshell, I fell it would tear down privacy, and create many hazards. Most women, and some men, are not comfortable with the idea either. In a perfect world, it would be ok, but in reallity, there are just too many whack jobs in the world to allow both sexes in the same bathroom at the same time.
_______
Jammin' lo'flo's since 1977.

I do not have an issue with one user at a time unisex restroom. I must say basic toilet manners need more attention by parents and teachers, by way books, to both sexes at a young age. People are just becoming less civilized and well mannered these days. When it comes to multi-user unisex restrooms I am apposed to this trend. I have seen a few establishments attempt multi-user unisex restrooms and they don’t last long. Some may consider it prudish, this comes from a straight guy who doesn’t like the privacy walls between urinals most disturbing, I have no interest in “liberating” the restroom for the point of televisions version of political correctness and of dealing with the personal business of others bodily functions. I believe out time is better spend demanding properly maintained and publicly assessable restrooms by retail developers, facility managers and public officials. It really comes down to human dignity on the most primitive level and it is something to promote.

As 28-year-old female graduate student, I'm pretty open to unisex bathrooms and have used them on campus and off campus for several years.

I agree that they are a lot more efficient and that the facilities are more efficiently utilized. Several years ago I would be in the stall, on the stool, complete my task and wipe, and then open the door only to see a male standing there waiting to advance into the stall. Yes, it startled me initially but I got use to it.

However, I find that I have not been able to shake one "hangup", or so one of my friends calls it. When I'm waiting in line for a stall---and this happens pretty frequently--and a man comes out, I'm inclined to want to put paper over the toilet seat before I sit down. This goes back to growing up in a house with five brothers; one would pee over the seat and another would come in and sit right in it when taking a shit. I found that to be gross and told my middle brother that once. His reply was that guys don't worry about it and that none of the boys at his school would be able to take a shit otherwise, because most of the seats would always be wet.

Now, years later, I feel I'm more liberal for lots of diverse views, but that's one that still has stayed with me. I just don't believe men are as clean or hygienic as women and I can't see my viewpoint changing on that issue.

In such situaitons I guess I'll always be grabbing for toilet paper to cover the seat with. I hope I don't sound too strange!

I call 'totally made up' on Cute Chick's post above about unisex toilets at her workplace where women squat next to the men's urinals on urinals of their own where their buttocks are exposed, and they are able to gawk at penises all the time. This is a fetish post if I ever saw one.

Now TBW, we must be open minded. You really HAVEN'T seen the office toilets on her planet have you? "And what planet is that?" you ask - why Uranus, of course (Actually Her-anus, but it just doesn't fit here.)!
Must be time to go back on my medication.
Incidentally TBW, I concur.

I personally prefer having a separate bathroom, but then again, women often enter bathrooms to do things other than actually take a piss or shit. Sometimes the interesting undergarments we wear have decided to attempt to cut us in half, and the rearrangement is best done out of public view. Sometimes the issue is menstrual. Sometimes we really do just want to check makeup under decent lighting and wash our hands.

Women tend to take longer than guys in the bathroom because we have to undress further to take a simple pee, often wear clothes harder to get in and out of for the purpose, and we are often trailing one or two small children, who, having said they need to go, are now faced with bashful kidneys or are somehow congenitally Shameful Shitters. So that takes a bit longer. We need more stalls than most restrooms normally give us.

Graduate student, I find it interesting that in a unisex bathroom, if I was to open the door to exit, you would be reluctant to sit down on the seat because men are not as "clean or hygienic" as women. WOW! I bathe once a day, shit once a day and, when away from home, pee in urinals. My girlfriend, who is in her mid-20s, uses bathrooms at work or while shopping etc. an average of three times a day. While she NEVER would sit on a public toilet--yes she had brothers like you did--some women think nothing of sitting on the bare seat. So if a woman was to sit on three or four public toilet seats before the one I'm about to use, I should be the one putting the paper down because she is three or four times less hygienic than me! How many people sat on that civic center toilet before her? I wonder if the urine fully dried on that mall toilet? How can I be sure that gas station toilet is cleaned once daily? Weekly? Monthly? I've only used a unisex bathroom twice so far this year BUT I remain suspicious of the women who sat down before me. They use the toilet MORE, sit down MORE, bring MORE germs onto each toilet and then have the audacity to complain about us males who have contact with the seat about 75% less. It just doesn't add up.

No problem with that since everyone poops and pooping is universal and I can't wait to poop in unisex bathrooms and drop my pants down to my ankles and poop next to a girl with her pants down her ankles._______
-Sam aka bknightshadow

Okay, here is a great solution on expanding women’s restrooms in concert halls, movie theaters, stadiums, and other large venues where so many of them have to wait in long lines. In one, two or three of these major cities, one of those venues should rebuild the ladies’ room. Take those doggone couches and lounge chairs out of that area and build plumbing there. Install and wall or two full of urinals like in the men’s rooms. Let them have the divider between urinals (not latch doors like stalls).

After reading numerous articles about women can pee standing up (with and without any devices) and how many have done so is some surveys that indicate that over 80 percent have used men’s urinals, this is an opportunity to put it to the test. Take a crowded venue. It’s intermission, halftime, or the seventh inning stretch. A lot of women are standing in line with their bladders about to explode. If the women’s room have a wall of urinals and the toilet stalls are full while they are waiting, the power of suggestion (empty urinals = no waiting) will make women go to those urinals in this dire emergency and use them. The lines go down immediately. Those that don’t want to use the urinals can wait on the toilet stalls.

As more venues rebuild women’s restrooms and install more urinals, more women will know that they are available and can plan their outings accordingly. They can practice peeing standing up at home in the shower or bathtub. The female-oriented television channels and magazines can let women know that there is a solution. Women can insist on having urinals installed by petition, e-mail messages, to building contractors, owners of public establishments, “Potty Parity” legislation, and so on. Take a quote from a baseball story: “Build them and they will use them.” Now let’s see women using urinals in the movies like they show men using them.

Women, stay out of the men's rooms. why? Because it will cause numerous problems. Women would not be in an environment where they hear men fart , smell their crap, or smell the unflushed toilets with crap overflowing in abundance. Most stalls in men's rooms do not have toilet paper. Perverted men will be creative and think of many ways to intimidate women. For instance, the men will get quiet just to hear how the woman tinkles: "Oh, she's a gusher." "Oh, she may be a little pee-shy." "Oh, that's cute. I want to go in after her just to smell." Then they will look at the bottom of that stall to see what color panties she is wearing (when they are down to the floor). If she farts, the men will respond loudly and the woman will be too embarrassed to walk out of that stall. And she will try and glance at the men's penises at the urinals (or at the sinks if they are pissing in them). It is unfair for women to be granted privacy in restrooms and not men. Men have emergencies, too.

The establishments should do what they have to do to accommodate more women without invading the privacy of men. If there are two sets of restrooms, make one of the men's rooms a women's room, and have a sign pointing to the other set of restrooms where the other men's room is located that men can use. At that set, if there is a line of women at the women's room, have a sign pointing to that first set of restrooms where women are using exclusively. But beware.

One of these days this could lead to making all restrooms for women only and urinals will be built outside of the women's room for men to use (and women and little girls to watch them). To go beyond that, in movie theaters and concert halls where this takes place, there may be a side screen showing these men using these urinals (and the expressions on their faces).

Oh, and what is with the men's room doors are always open but the women's rooms are always closed? Isn't it proper etiquette for women to have doors already opened for them? No, society wants "men to be seen," especially at the urinals.

OK this is quite a delicate subject here. I for one do NOT mind a unisex crapper HOWEVER rules should be in effect. Lets face facts guys this bathroom should be treated with more respect than an ordinary mens road toilet. Leave the seat DOWN for the next dumper or dumpette. If you have bad aim wipe the wet seat off make it nice for the next person. Dont depend on others to clean up after you. If you think your dump is going to peel the paint off the walls perhaps an aSSessment of the shituation should happen perhaps you can make it to the comfort of your OWN bathroom instead of letting others suffer from your stench. Be respectful to the opposite sex is key here for success.
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The Thunderous Crapper 63 Enjoying home toilet advantage since 2004!

If unisex bathrooms were to become more acceptable, there would have to be action on another equity issue: more womens bathrooms tend to have the ass-gaskets than male toilets. Men can make an even STRONGER argument that seat protectors are even MORE necessary in male bathrooms because there's more splashed urine to deal with. My girlfriend, on the other hand, believes that more women today are choosing not to use the seat covers and the lack of ass-gaskets in the unisex restroom would not be a deal breaker. However, she does think that parents would like to have them for their younger children to use. I tend to agree with Derek: women sit down more, use the toilet more often, and therefore could bring more germs to the seat.

When a man leaves a unisex toilet, I use an ass-gasket or put paper on the seat. When a woman comes out, I know that the seat is cleaner and I sit right down. Nuff said!

As bizarro as this may sound, our YMCA has a multi-stalled family changing room. So, in one stall you might have a male and in the next stall, a female and both butt naked. The first couple of times that I used it (with LDP), I was a little uncomfortable. Now, it doesn't bother me.

The only time it bothers me, though, is when the women hang their used tampons from the showerheads.
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Deja Poo - Because this shit's so strange, it couldn't ever have happened before.

I think this is a very interesting thread. Early on, Logjam says unisex toilets are ok when they are separate lockable rooms. I think that is spot on. Fact is, there are a lot of people who find it difficult to take a dump in a public toilet - and a lot of them are women. I'm sure they'd be even less likely to poop in a stall with a man in the one (AB2000 - wish there were more women like you, but fact is you are not typical!). So, as I'm against anything that stops anyone pooping when they need to (we need to make it easier) I'd be against unisex toilets with stalls.

TBW - I'm one of the men who prefers to pee in a toilet. When I've been drinking tea all morning - as usual - I'm absolutely bursting when I go. The pee comes out with such force it splashes back off some urinals - now that is disgusting. But, Pissed Off Guy, I agree if you use a toilet you have to aim responsibly. I always lift the seat, and if I splash the rim I wipe it off.

And finally, Cute Chick, I agree with TBW again - I just can't buy that one. But I wouldn't object to seeing your buttocks though - perhaps you could just post a picture instead?

I was raised in a family of seven boys. Until when we moved to a larger house when I was a senior in high school, my brothers and I shared one upstairs bathroom. My parents had theirs off the master bedroom. Several of my friends didn't have brothers, so when they would be over they would remark how it would suck to have to wipe the seat off (one forgot and when she finally looked she was grossed out!), and my youngest two brothers never could remember to flush their crap (even after I deliberately left a full stool specimen/reminder for Nick one morning because I knew he was waiting). I feel such experiences have made me more tolerant about using unisex bathrooms in smaller stores and gas stations. My friend Marci and I were washing my car this past weekend at a self-service car wash. It was 11:30 at night and she had to pee (could it have been being around all the water?)so I finished up while she want in to pee. She was gone like maybe 15 minutes. I got done and came to look for her. When she finally came out she said she had to wait for a guy to finish and had a hard time getting her pee flow going. A coincidence?

LF - I understand where you are coming from here, and you have made some good points - but washing the car at 11.30 at night!!!? Were you washing away the traces of some illegal activity!!!??

Hammy, You cheeky monkey asking cute chick for pics of her bum. Do I need to fly across the pond and "moon" you?
Producing waste since 1967

Stella, I agree with you wholeheartedly. By and large, us women are a lot more cleaner about ourselves then men. My ex, for example, would wear the same underwear for a week, would shower or bathe only once or twice a week, and I had to get on him to do that. Me and my 13-year-old daughter shower daily and change our underwear daily. While we don't worry about sitting down on public toilets in ladies rooms, in unisex venues we do put toilet paper down first if a man was the last user. I've heard too many stories from my brothers about guys sitting right down on public toilets with urine and even skidmarks on the seat. Such habits are totally dumb and gross!

Stella, how do you react to this scenario? I use a public bathroom three times a day. Once to sit down and shit and twice to pee in the urinal. You use it three times, sitting down each time. How could you possibly argue that the woman would bring less germs to the seat the the man? Apply some logic to it. Why are you so prejudiced toward males. Since we have less contact with public toilet seats we should be cleaner!

Without wanting to stir up a sex debate further, I doubt that generalisations are really very helpful. I'm sure there is a very broad range of hygiene standards, from punctillious to negligible, across both sexes. When it comes down to it, this comes down to personal pride against laziness, rather than sex.

Half a point to Hamster, just for using the word "punctillious"!

I'm not convinced it's a matter of the majority of women being cleaner than men, but a matter of the majority of women squeamish.

I'm squeamish about public bathrooms, because I've seen what other women do to them. It's gross.

If it's a unisex crapper, what do hermaphrodites do?

Besides, it's probably not going to fly because of religious "modesty" codes, especially with muslims and hindus. It's doubtful that they would drop off the kids at the pool witn men considering that they won't even swim with us either.
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Yo quiero Taco Bell.

Deja Poo (295) -- 07.27.2007 -- wrote: "
If it's a unisex crapper, what do hermaphrodites do?

Stay home a lot, I imagine.

Then again, wouldn't a hermaphrodite be the epitome of the unisex crapper patron?

Thank you GGG!! I'll try to keep up the standard!!

But I think your point is right. Over my all too many years at work, I've known of three significant instances of, shall we say, persistent anti-social behaviour, or, more bluntly, indiscriminate crapping, in the stalls. Two of these three have been in the ladies toilets, and indeed, one is currently ongoing (I know only because my aide has told me about it by the way!). Gross, apparently, sums it up well!!

I posted on this tread maybe a year and a half ago. Look for the name above. Here is a sugestion, why don't we have a chart with all the Pros and Cons on it and every one can weigh them out and add to them? Please, stay out of the debate in which sex is cleaner than the other. Make that another tread. I think Cute Chick post is too good to be ture. If it was true, we would probaly have more unisex restrooms.

I like to commit intentional acts of turd terrorism in unisex bathrooms for the very fact that they'll have double the audiences (maybe even triple or quadruple, given how incontinent women tend to be, thus needing more potty breaks) than a standard crapper would offer. My favorite is the brown butt butterfly!

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"...human shit has more of an almond, or perhaps a macadamia flavor to it. I hope you will all take my advice and really consider tasting your poop some time, as I have. It's really quite an experience." - Ratz

I've just completed middle school and will be starting high school later this month. I use a unisex toilet at least twice a week. Me and my friends hang out at a convenience store near the school and sometimes we stop at a gas station for sodas and ice cream. Both places have a unisex bathroom. All too often when a man or even a boy our age comes out, there's urine over the seat. Once last week, the seat was so wet, it seemed like three or four guys peed directly on it before I went in to have my afternoon crap. Even after I wipe the seat off (try three handfuls of toilet paper)I still don't feel too good sitting on it. Oh, and when I went to flush, the flusher was also wet and I got my hand in it. Guys are so gross! My mom agrees with me and says they sometimes will think nothing of directly sitting in someone else's pee. I remember taking my younger brother in once when he was about 5 and wiping the seat off for him while he complained about immediately needing to sit and shit. I just don't think guys get it. Sure women sit down more frequently, but their butts are cleaner, and they have more cleanliness and knowledge of what they're sitting in.

I don't know where you come from TT - perhaps you should tell us - and at least give some warning of the whereabouts of your disgusting habits.

Turd Turdgutson writes: I like to commit intentional acts of turd terrorism....

Last time I checked, dingleberries like this were not permitted here. Dave, I think you should either ban this asswipe, or apologize to The_Shitman, Dr. James., etc.

I think unisex bathrooms are the way to go. This would ultimately result in cleaner bathrooms for everyone. My wife has told me about many occasions, where a womens' bathroom is just downright nasty, and had rather used the mens' room. As far as both sexes peeing/pooping in the same room at the same time? As long as there are stalls with locking doors, that will work for me. We are all adults. The inhibitions about something as basic, universal, and as elementary as pooping, need to be destroyed. I have used unisex bathrooms before. When I was in Israel, as a teen. I was in one stall pooping, and While doing so, a girl went into the stall next to me, and pooped as well.

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Bruce S.

SB - I have no problem with the concept myself - but I think some of our more shameful colleagues will have! So if unisex bathrooms encourage more people to 'hold it in' - then I'm against. I have no problem with a young lady pooping in the next stall to me, but more likely she will have! Would she be confortable with it - or just think - I'll wait!! More the latter, I'd guess.

I wouldn't WANT to take a crap in a stall next to a man I didn't know, but I would if I had to.

It would be more difficult to poop in a stall next to a man I KNOW, such as a coworker. That would be much more embarrassing.

And, there are degrees to that. There are men at work and some guy friends whom I wouldn't mind THAT much, if there was NO option. But there are some men whom I'd rather explode than let them be in the next stall.

GGG...everyone does it...what is the big deal...she couldnt wait, and she was obviously not embarassed. Sometimes, doodie calls, and you need to adress it regardless of who is in the next stall.

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Bruce S.

GGG - I am intrigued now!! I see that ts potentially more embarrassing to crap in front of a co-worker than a stranger. But the men where you'd rather explode rather than let them be in the next stall. Men you like or don't like? Clever dicks? Blokes you'd like to impress? Creeps? Bosses?

"Guys are so gross! My mom agrees with me and says they sometimes will think nothing of directly sitting in someone else's pee."

In spite of all of our grossness, someday you're going to marry one of us, cook dinner for him, clean his house and even want to bear his children. What will you get in return? A toilet seat that's either soaked in urine or left in the upright position. And on a good day, we might flush after we finish.

You realize, of course, that if you have a son, his father is going to teach him the old "piss on the seat when your mad at the world's women" trick. There's nothing better for reaffirming who's the squatters and who's the standers around the house than that.

It's good being a guy. Now, if you'll pardon me, I think I feel a piss coming on.
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Yo quiero Taco Bell.

Guys are slobs because they pee on the seat and will even sit in one another's urine. Yes, that grosses me out. However, I feel the blame needs to be spread among both genders. I'm 17 and starting my senior year of high school, and I've had plenty of experience with unisex toilets. For one thing, I also work 20 hours a week at a nationally franchised convenience store that has a one-stall unisex toilet. Yes, customers have complained about urine on the seat, large craps that a too big to flush, toilet paper being wasted and on some occasions, stolen. There's nothing more upsetting to me than going in for a quick crap between customers and find that my butt is feeling moist and when I seek to wipe, there's no toilet paper. In some instances, I can easily recall changing it an hour earlier when I came on my shift. In many such cases, the last person to have used the toilet has been a female. Some of our customers hover pee and do a very poor job with their aim. Why can't they just lift the seat before squatting? Also, I doubt that the sanitary supplies that we frequently have to fish out of our toilet were deposited by males. I, for one, have no problem with comfortably seating myself on a toilet after a male customer has used it. Besides, I believe the male butt is going to be cleaner because it is less likely to have been on as many public toilet seats as has a womans. Also, four out of five customers that ask me to replace the toilet paper are males. I give them a roll from under the counter and they are very thankful and polite and have no qualms about making the replacement themselves. I'm the only girl in a family of five brothers so my defense of males may be even more significant. Women can be/are sometimes pigs when it comes to public bathrooms and I find it's really hard for my generation to take criticism of that fact.

Hammy - Okay, now I have to think more about this... long post, sorry.

If I HAD to poop with a man in the next stall, my FIRST choice would be a guy I didn't know, with whom I'd never even have to make eye contact. Who cares, if it's a stranger?

My SECOND choice would be a coworker with whom I have an enjoyable relationship. The guys I look forward to joking around with, etc... I guess because they're closer to friends than strictly coworkers. It wouldn't matter much if they're bosses or underlings; I have friends in both groups.

My LAST choice would be to have to poop next to the CREEPS*, and we have some at my work. The creeps, being creeps, would probably be inappropriate about the bathroom activity.

*There's a double standard to that, though. If Manny says, "Hey, beautiful!" when I walk in, that's fine, and I answer "Hi, sweetie! How's the kids?..." Whatever. He's a buddy. I'd poop with Manny in the bathroom if I HAD to.

However, the other day, the lecherous Br*blech*ad walked into the back while I was wrapping a bridal gift. He said, "Looks beautiful!" I replied, "Thanks." He added, "And the gift looks good, too!", with a Groucho Marx waggle.

I said, "Ew! Go away," because he's a vile pig. He walks a very thin line, just this side of sexual harassment, all the time. I would explode before I'd poop with Br*blech*ad in the room, because he's putrid.

I hope that answers the question.

Comprehensively GGG! Thank you! About what I'd have guessed. It is really interesting too. I bet if Manny made the second remark, that would be ok - right? Strange how some of us can say things and others can't! Not really double standards, because it's how it makes you feel. And you can't alter that. You accept behaviour and comments from some that you would not from others (particularly vile pigs!!!). That's life!

But what is all this about pissing on the seat!!?? As a man, I don't think I've ever pissed on a seat. You lift it up - and if it falls down again, you hold it up with your free hand! Why? because it is common decency! End of story. And if, as ETA says, you are a woman and you are going to hover, surely you do the same thing - if you are hovering, you don't need a seat!!!

Lastly, ETA, unconciously I think, raises a fantastic point!! Now, I am a shameless shitter, but I am not sure whether I, as a mature man, could walk up to her, doubtless an attractive 17 year old, and ask her for toilet paper!!! Perhaps not as shameless as I thought .... I'll have to think on that!

Aubrey writes: "The male butt is going to be cleaner because it is less likely to have been on as many public toilet seats as a womans." I disagree.
I'm in my mid-20s and for the past year I've been managing a 12-chair styling salon. Although we advertise citywide, our clientele is upscale suburban and the ratio is 2:1 in favor of women. We've had the same two-stall unisex bathroom for the five years I've worked here.

Ten of our 15 employees are females and I don't know anyone who would agree with Aubrey's assessment. It's not how many public toilet seats you've sat on, but rather how clean they are and how clean you are about yourself. I'll sit on a seat after a woman anytime because nine times out of ten she at least wipes the seat off and has not knowingly sat in someone else's pee. I remember my ex telling me once that at school he just got use to sitting on wet toilet seats and that I was being "overemotional" when I refused to sit on wet seats during a cross-country drive we took one summer. One of our stylists, who is in his early 30s and should know better, never lifts the seat when he pees. When I go in and he is coming out, there's almost always pee on the seat and sometimes the wall. Luckily we have the second stall for use. I will typically take a couple of paper towels from the dispenser and wipe the seat off because our cleaning service comes in around midnight only once a day and we want the bathrooms as nice as possible for our customers. Most of the complaints I've heard from customers--especially mine--are of urine on the seats, stools not being flushed, etc. Most of the time, the culprit is a male user. If our owner had the money, I would recommend that she invest in a renovation that would get rid of the unisex bathroom. That would make more of our female clientele happy. Another observation I've made is that for the past six months when we have had toilet seat tissues available, almost none of them have been used. I doubt that we're going to have to replenish our original 100-tissue order any time soon.

Unisex toilets can probably work, but the upkeep of them is the main issue of contention with me. To put it simply: the guys need to be more considerate of those who regularly sit down and who care about what they are sitting in.

Like Salon Manager, I have made similar observations of the unisex bathroom at the establishments I patronize. I don't know why it is, but when I go in and see urine on the seat or crap in the bowl, it's such a turnoff that I may just wait until I'm out of the chair since my apartment is only three blocks away. My point is that I pretty regularly see unisex bathrooms as dirty and unkempt as the public school bathrooms I was forced to use in the 1980s. As far as who has the dirtier butts, I would think it would be the males who seem less picky about what they leave behind and what others will eventually sit in. The absolute most appalling thing to me is that I've heard that men will think nothing of sitting in another's urine which has been left behind. I remember asking a boyfriend about that a few years ago and he admitted that was true. Gross! Gender-specific toilets are my favorites and will remain so.

SC - some men, some men!!! I would never, have never, pissed on a seat, nor sat in somone elses!! Some of us believe in decency and hygiene.

I disagree with Aubrey. The male butt is not necessarily cleaner than a females just because it might have to sit on a public toilet once a day compared to the female who might have to sit down more frequently. I was taught by my parents and I know several of my friends are also conscious about wiping a seat off before sitting on it at school or any public place. Therefore, I feel we are more aware of what we are sitting in. On the other hand,my boyfriend actually complains about crapping at school because the seats are so wet from the many pee-ers who don't/won't use a urinal or at least lift the seat first. A couple of times, he has complained that he seems to momentarily stick to the seat when he goes to get up and that has never happened to me. I suspect it has something to do with what has been on that seat earlier. I stop at a C-store every morning before school for coffee- to- go. A couple of times a week, I feel my crap coming on and I take it there in the unisex toilet. I feel better about sitting on a seat that a girl used compared to a guy, but I guess that's just my preference. When I have to crap I'll take whatever's available and anything beats the lines at school!

Chelsey's boyfriend is right: it's gross the way guys won't lift the seat and rather pee right on it. Like Chelesy, I too stop for coffee across the street from my school. I'm in my first year of college. I generally drink my coffee there and get some reading done. I never can get caught up with all my reading assignments! After about a half hour I usually have to use the unisex toilet to pee. This past week I've been seated at a table just to the right of the door so I can keep an eye on who the users area. For four consecutive days there has been urine on the seat and the person immediately before me has been a male. One two of the days there was also unflushed crap in the stool. I guess guys just can't perform a very simple lift-job on the toilet seat. In my opinion, this is always going to hinder wider acceptance of unisex toilets.

just think, a unisex bathroom presents the penis problem....

I would have no problem with unisex multi-stall bathrooms, but I have a suggestion: Have the toilet seats spring-operated so that they are always up unless you push them down and sit on them. I have used some of those. They are easy to use and stay clean of urine.

In the mid-1990s my parents purchased three gas/convenient stores in a bankruptcy. I was a sophomore in high school at the time and I quit participation on two teams to work 30 or 35 hours a week for Mom & Dad. Each store had a one-stall unisex toilet, and like MSG described, had these strange spring-operated seats that would pop up and remain up at about 45 degrees until the next customer would sit on it. Our employees who were mostly younger women or teenagers like me thought they were great because we had a lot of truckers and delivery drivers as customers and they didn't have to lift the seat. The problem--second only to complaints on our prices for cigarettes and beer--was these seats. Older women complained they couldn't sit on them because there was no way to put paper over them first to sit on and mothers with younger children didn't like them because the kids liked to move around a lot and sometimes the seat would "pop up" from under the child. One mother demanded the corporate office number (our house) and later wrote us a three page nasty letter about her son's "accident". I think he was about 4 1/2. He apparently sat down and started to crap but because the seat was cold and he felt scared that the seat was lifting under him, he slid up to the very front and as a result the seat popped up from under him, forcing him to crap into the front of his pants and onto the front of the seat/bowl. My husband and I encounter the unisex toilets pretty frequently when we travel with his work. We don't, however, see many of the spring-controlled seats.

MSG - good suggestion for public toilets!! I see the logic and totally agree! Would not want them at home though - given my propensity for dropping things in the toilet area!!

I really wouldn't want to take a giant dump with a hot chick in the stall next to me.

ipoopsobig - I would have thought that too - but my similar experience was that it wasn't so bad in the end - see 'Worst Nightmare Cure for Shameless Shitting.'

Anyway, in the end, if you were to become an item with 'a hot chick' then it is something you'd have to deal with - unless you wanted to spend the rest of your lives tiptoeing around the issue and 'pooping in secret' - as some people obviously do.

Like Mandy, I worked my way through college when I was in my mid-20s by working in a convenience store. I would have preferred the spring-up seats not just for the urine I would inevitably have to wipe off before sitting down, but because of a real turn off for me: pubic hair on the front of the seat.

We had one unisex bathroom and the seat was just like most home seats--no cut in front--so frequently I would find one, two or even three hairs over the front of the seat. For some reason, they were grosser and more troublesome to me than a few drops of urine. I remember when my boy friend at the time would visit the store and we talked, he sometimes would tease me about my "over-reaction". It's been almost 10 years and I still remember what he thought was so insignificant.

I think multi stall unisex toilets should be installed in places like bars, nightclubs, and trendy lounges, since people in these places are either drunk or tend to be very liberal in their views in general. At corporate environments, unisex toilets could be installed in offices with mostly younger people. In an office environment, they could help brake the ice between coworkers and just as a gender specific restroom acts as an equalizer between the genders, an unisex toilet would take this one step further. Finally, unisex toilets should also be installed wherever utility is above other priorities, particularly where there is a deficit of women's restrooms like in stadiums, theaters, etc. and were people don't care too much since they are mostly surronunded by strangers.

Unisex toilets in bars and nightclubs would just make it easier for the drunks to get it on in the restrooms. Not that I see anything wrong with that.

You're still on your own if you want to do her in the can.

A story way up above from CEP reminded me of a toilet story my brother once told me. He is a doctor and spends a lot of time working abroad in third world countries and has to use unusual bathroom facilities. This time he was in Magadan, Siberia. The bathroom was a 3 seater platform with no privacy at all. He went in and found a large criminal looking man taking a grunt in the center seat. He didn't want to sit right next to him, nor did he want to have to face him and pee. He decided to go to the sink and wash up as if that was why he came in the first place. Just then an old Russian woman in a long skirt and babushka came in with a mop. She proceeded to start mopping the floor. When she got to the guy on the can, she muttered something in Russian, whereupon he lifted his feet so she could mop under them.

I am a shamelss shitter, but I might have had the same problem in that one. Maybe I should get him to join Poop Report. I'm sure he has plenty more stories.

Seeing this thread pop up again reminded me of an experience out in the Midwest nearly 30 years ago. We went to a big rummage sale of some kind in a school gymnasium, well lighted by lots of windows--which was good, because halfway through, the power went out. I had to poop, so I headed to the restrooms. To my surprise, the men's was locked, and the women's (to which other men as well as women were going) was in near-total darkness. I found a stall, felt my way to the toilet, and sat down. Almost immediately a woman came into the one beside me (I heard her speak). I was in process already, and soon I dropped a couple of plunkers. A few seconds later she did likewise. For me it was a pleasant experience, and she did not seem to mind it, as she spoke pleasantly to me as we groped our way to the sinks. It was just a natural thing.

MSG, that reminds me of something that happened to me about 15 years ago when I had to take a 6:30 am flight out of Intercontinental Airport here in Houston.

Needless to say, I was still half asleep, and I was in a concourse that had just been remodeled. Anyway, the bathrooms were designed so that they had not main door, just a huge curved entrance/exit so you did not have to touch any door handles. The "identifying" signs on the restrooms for some reason were placed not very close to where the entrance was.

Being half asleep and in a hurry, I for some reason just made a mad dash to the first bathroom I could find; not seeing the "Women" sign, and just assuming I knew where I was going.

I walked in a immediately noticed that this was a huge bathroom, but there were no urinals. I stood there thinking to myself, "why in the hell would you have a mens room this size with no urinals?" Then it hit me like a flash. Anyway, thank god that it was so early and there was no one else (of either gender) in there, and no one even saw me walk out.

I finally found the men's room and as I sat, I thought about what an idiot I was.

Geri's post of 8/19/07: "Guys are so gross! My mom agrees with me and says they sometimes will think nothing of sitting directly in someone else's pee." As a 24-year-old female, I agree that pee on the seat can be a real problem in unisex bathrooms. When shopping I have patiently waited with a full crap ready to unload and when the door opens and a man or boy emerges, there's almost always a dripping amount of pee from the seat! Under such circumstances, I just don't feel good about wiping the seat and then sitting on it. I will do my full crap by squatting and I will not add to the mess on the seat. However, when I exit, I've seen children as young as 4 or 5 race right in and I doubt they are going to take any precautions.

I'm in my late 20s and because I have an active social life in addition to a 50-plus hour a week career in corporate America, I use unisex toilets three or four times a week--usually at convenience stores. Unlike the precautions described by Sore Knees, I just sit right down and try and make the best of the toilet that becomes available. Who doesn't remember the occasional wet seats in public school? It's not a unisex v. single-sex toilet issue. To me, relieving myself and doing so as fast as possible is the most important thing; I can live with sitting in a few sprinkles of urine occasionally.

I don't know if age has much to do with it (I'm 25) but I use a unisex bathroom several times a week. I feel, however, that Down & Out Chick has an extremely matter-of-fact attitude: "I can live with sitting in a few sprinkles of urine occasionally." Single-sex or unisex, wet seat or not, my butt never has been seated on a public seat. I use toilet paper to shield me from what the dirty masses leave behind. As far as the unisex toilets go, the biggest problem is that the guys--especially those with young children--don't lift the seat before peeing.

I was in Durban, South Africa in May of this year. My buddy, a South African, said that he needed to go to the bathroom and I said me too. So right behind him I walked into the WC only to be confronted with stalls, no urinals. I about jumped straight back out the door, thinking my friend had led me into the woman's room. He told me that it was okay, it was a unisex bathroom. So when I went into the stall (lifting the seat for the ladies!) I made darn sure the door was latched behind me. No letting it hang half closed thing we do in the States. Afterward, while washing my hands, an attractive lady came in, went into the stall and did her business. While I couldn't see her - not even sure I heard anything - it just kind of gave me an uncomfortable feeling. However, it was most likely the newness of the experience. I suppose we would all get use to it but the guys will need to pick up the seats so there are no dribbles. I think the ladies can handle putting them back down.

I think the ladies can handle putting them back down.

Excellent sentence!

I love passive aggressive statements. LOVE them. Ever since I was a kid I've enjoyed people saying something politely that isn't totally polite or innocent because the hidden or unexpressed connotation leaves the mind to wander. Maybe this is because I was raised in house that resembled a pit of repression and denial. Yeah!

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.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

Daphne, you forgot to take your valium and bourbon, again.
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The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

I belong to a naturist club. Nude volleyball, naked baseball, all natural sunbathing. Separate bathrooms. It is not about sex, it is about shame.

I have a comment similar to this posted elsewhere on pr but I can't remember where. When I first got to Japan I was shocked that most of the bars only had one bathroom and in many of them there was no lock on the door. I would be peeing in the urinal when I would hear the door open behind me and the click of high heels going down to one of the squat toilets. This was usually accompanied by a demure giggle and a murmured "gomen-nasai" or
excuse me.

The squat toilets had doors on the stalls
but I could clearly hear the merry tinkling sound of the pee hitting the water. Contrary to several posts at the top of this thread I was not overcome with a desire to rush in and rape the young ladies. After a few years it seemed quite ordinary.

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Eat chilies and feel the burn!!

YES! Especially if there's no urinal for guys in there. I don't want to sit in piss!!!
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I will never shit somewhere that only has that horrible, scratchy brand of toilet paper. That stuff sucks!

I think unisex restrooms could work in some places. Most men would go for a leak so practically all of the stalls would be available for the women. The urinals could be installed in a separate area so to avoid a potential embarrasing situation, particularly for women. The sinks of course would be shared by the genders. Women would tend to be quicker and stop using the restroom as a safe haven from men, and the guys would become cleaner and more civilized.

Warning: This is a very long post. You can read the last paragraph to get the essence.

Public Toilets are social equalizers. They erase distinctions between the genders. Men and women are stripped of their differences. So that social class, wealth, race, age, culture, nationality, and even religion, are set aside. Two men at the urinal are equal inside a Public Toilet. Two feet under a stall have the same hierarchy. Both produce farts and both stink. It doesn't matter if a guy pooping in a stall is a blue collar worker and the guy shitting next to him is a Harvard alumni. Both have an urgent need to shit and both are men. I assume a similar story should unfold in the ladies room.

Society has accepted Public Toilets as places where differences are set aside and equality is the norm. But a major difference still exists. That between men and women. Public Toilets have failed to erase this difference. It is acceptable for a Wall Street broker to take a leak next to a construction worker, or a politician taking a dump next to a cop at an airport restroom. However, it would be unthinkable to take a dump in a restaurant while your date applies makeup, or worse still to take a leak while she takes a dump.

Unisex Toilets would erase the difference in gender and in consequence would be people equalizers. They would demystify the Victorian taboo of shame between men and women when going to the bathroom. Urinating and defecating are physiological functions, just like breathing, sleeping, and eating. There's nothing wrong with them. Poop is natural and there's nothing disgusting with it if handled properly. It is society which has attached to it the taboo of uncleanliness, guilt, and shame. This can be partly understood because in the 19Th century, sewage systems were not always existent and the toilet as we know it today was not yet perfected. There were many outbreaks of cholera and other diseases. So poop was considered extremely dangerous, and it was understandable that people had an aversion to it. On the other hand, Victorian morale made it fashionable to pretend you didn't poop. The higher you were in the social scale, the less "earthly" you were. So for the higher classes, it was essential to pretend they didn't poop and thus, hide all the aspects related to pooping. That's how the water closet (W.C.) became invented. And that's how privacy became the norm. If pooping was considered taboo for society as a whole, for women it was unthinkable. Girls don't poop and the only thing emanating from a women's body should be the scent of roses. That was the prevailing ideology and that's the primary reason why men and women are segregated when going to the bathroom. At least in Western society.

Opponents of Unisex Toilets might argue that they're not soundproof. True, but what's wrong with hearing farts, plops, or crackling sounds after all. They're not worse than hearing someone blowing their nose. Or sneezing, or coughing. They may argue that they're not smell proof. True, you can smell someones gas but what else would you expect in a public restroom. And would you really care if the poop smell comes from a man or a woman. Poop always stinks. They may argue they're not visual proof. So, what's the big deal with seeing someones shoes, or high heels under a stall. You're not seeing nudity or anything else you wouldn't see outside the restroom. Finally, the test of fire. Women might get offended by seeing a man's penis. Regarding this delicate issue. There's no reason why a woman should see a penis inside a Unisex Toilet more than a man seeing a vagina. However, since men in a hurry sometimes unzip before getting to the urinal accidentally, my solution would be placing the urinals in a separate area were women would be visually protected. That way, this issue would be solved once and for all.

Furthermore, since most people (men and women) entering a Public Toilet go for a # 1, pooping issues would not be minimized. Most women would use the stalls to pee, and if they pooped, it would not be such an issue for them since they always use stalls. On the other hand, most men would use the urinals, and given their location it would not pose any problem. If a man do needed to pass a b.m., he would use a stall, and this would not pose any problems for him. It has always been more acceptable for a man to show his human side than for a woman. And he would be surrounded mostly by women using the stalls who would not care. Women only care about piss in the seat and this would not be the case.

A Unisex Toilet does bring some changes. Women can no longer go to the bathroom without the presence of men, and thus, cannot discuss women only issues but would be compensated by shorter queues. And if space affords it, a separate women's lounge with a few women only stalls could be considered (if the restroom is large enough of course). Regarding the main stalls, they should all be labeled for men and women and most if not all, should have tampon dispensers for women. The few without them should have a men sign on them although women could use them as well. Changes for men, would be minimal, since men don't go in groups to the bathroom and don't linger in it like women. Men would tend to wash their hands since it would be embarrassing not doing so in front of women. The biggest issue for a guy would be realizing that a girl poops and this is something which could be very weird for us. However, a Unisex Toilet would prepare people to accept the fact that everyone poops, and it's no big deal, just as gender specific bathrooms do between the genders.

However Unisex Toilets can work better in some places than others. They can be more easily accepted in places were chances of meeting someone you know are very small, places with very open minded people, places were everyone is just too drunk to care, or simply places were people are desperate to go or no other option is available. When you gotta go you gotta go. From the builder's perspective, the main reasons to install a Unisex Toilet are space at a premium, better utilization and less queues, which lead to efficiency and better allocated resources, and economies of scale. Some place may even install Unisex Toilets deliberately, since it may be fashionable, like some trendy bars and restaurants. Others may install them to generate a certain dynamic between people, like some companies (Ally Mc'Beal series). Once a coworker has heard you poop, the relation goes to a deeper level (nothing sexual involved). There should be at least one of these elements involved so that the probability of success is reasonable particularly the ones involving the users.

In conclusion, Unisex Toilets can be installed in most places where at least one reason exists to justify them. Men and women can get used to them and accept them without major problems. Pooping is natural and the taboo around it is largely unfounded and obsolete. In the 21st century we should get rid of Victorian ideas of denying bodily functions. Men and women are equally capable, and can be civilized enough to share a common restroom. This doesn't mean the end of the magic between the genders. On the contrary, it celebrates our differences and highlights the fact that we are all humans and humanity should be united.

Nice concept, but shouldawouldacoulda as to actually making this a reality.

You should have submitted this as a front page story instead of a comment. If you feel like doing so, email dave - dave@poopreport.com.

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.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

Don't like unisex bathrooms all that well
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Russell the shitting queen