News / toilets
An ode to Watershed’s new gender neutral toilets
Watershed CEO Clare Reddington says that the new toilets in their top foyer are “a physical embodiment of our values”.
“We have spent rather a lot of time in the last two years thinking about toilets,” Reddington wrote in a recent blog post.
“A surprising amount perhaps, but we have learnt how vital they are to providing an inclusive welcome.”
is needed now More than ever
The new cubicles are all completely enclosed and are for all genders, with separate male and female toilets still available the other side of the bar.
Anyone can access free period products in all of Watershed’s toilets.
Reddington says that “with very few public toilets open in the city centre we think it’s an important part of our public service to make our toilets available to everyone whether they are a customer or not”.
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“For a talk on public conveniences recently, Helen Jaffa shared some of the ways that Watershed’s toilets are used on a weekly basis including changing period products, crying, resting, having a panic attack, doing drugs, keeping warm, sleeping, washing, getting changed and getting ready to go out,” Reddington added.
“Some of these are illegal, so we ask people to stop and support them to leave, but most are just very human functions and demonstrate why accessible and inclusive toilet spaces are essential.”
Never an organisation to simply go with the flow, Watershed have celebrated the public toilet and its many uses by creating a zine called Inconvenience, something that Reddington calls a “charming love letter to the many functions of a public loo”.
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- ‘Access to public toilets is an equalities issue’
- Campaigners refused entry to ‘public’ toilets across Bristol as council scheme falters
- Toilets reopen in former toilet block – now with added cafe
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