August is traditionally the silly season in politics but we seem to be stuck in silly decade of policy, and not in a funny way. Even ten years ago, few might have imagined that the minister for equalities would have needed to open up a debate on toilets. Yesterday, Kemi Badenoch announced that the government is publishing draft guidance that will protect the dignity, privacy and safety of all. In particular, she insisted that so-called gender-neutral toilets are no longer an option.
In this country, a woman would not be committing a criminal offence if she chose to use the cubicle in the men’s to avoid a long queue
The problem is less about toilets than language and assumptions. As Badenoch pointed out, gender-neutral does not mean unisex. Unisex toilets have been around for generations. The facilities in my house are unisex, as is the toilet on the train I used to get home on Saturday.
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