I went down to the army post of Fort Lewis, Washington, for the annual Special Olympics state soccer tournament. I found it fun, despite losing both games.

In a general sense, the participants headed down to Fort Lewis on Friday afternoon to settle in at the barracks. Then we all went to the opening ceremonies. After the ceremonies, we went back to the barracks to go to bed. In the morning on Saturday, after having breakfast, we headed to the soccer fields play at least one game on Saturday. When the games of the day are over, we went back to the barracks and got ready for dinner and the dance, which takes place at the same location as the openings. On Sunday, we go back to the fields to play the remaining games before going back home (or to hang out, if we were eliminated). The Fort Lewis weekend of events takes place following Memorial Day.

This year I learned that the girls on my team from Renton stayed in a barrack that had a latrine-style bathroom that had no stalls. The stalls were not just doorless -- they were completely stall-less. Yep, it is just a row of four toilets, with absolutely nothing between them. So that when a woman has to use the toilet, she is completely open to view to the other women using the latrine. She has no privacy.

This barrack housed at least twenty or thirty women, and only half of them were from my Renton recreation group.

The sinks were also a hassle. There was a ramp leading into the bathroom, cutting off access to the further sinks. There was only one sink that is actually open and easy to use, and it was in high demand. If a woman wished to use the other sinks, she had to bend over the railing of the ramp to use the sink, putting her in an awkward posture.

I found out because one of the girls from the Renton group took a picture of the toilets. It was just a row of toilets. At first I thought that photo was taken in China or Iran or some other eastern country. Then she told me that those toilets were INSIDE THE BARRACK where they were staying.

We guys were lucky. There are always stalls at the toilets so we can have privacy at the toilets.

When we went to the track stadium to watch the people run, I walked into the men's room. At the toilets, there is one toilet that is half-stalled, so it is in clear view.

So: it looks like that if you are in the military, there is no privacy for you.