Those stats are disturbing. I agree with the comment below, I would opt for ladies toilets if available over a unisex one.

If I absolutely had to go, I would use the unisex loos. But if there were ladies loos close enough, I would choose them every time….hands down. Have to say I haven’t come across any unisex toilets tho. As mentioned before, if you’re not comfortable with your child going into the toilets by themselves, either take them in with you….separate cubicle if necessary. Or go into the parents room to use theirs. No way would I let someone else’s opinion let me compromise my child’s safety

If it’s compromising safety then unisex bathrooms need to be done away with. The numbers speak for themselves and there’s no way to monitor and stop an attack before it happens without invading privacy. I’m unsure of what should be done with regards to transgender people. I know I wouldn’t mind them using the ladies but there are other women steadfastly against it. Creating a seperate bathroom for them may work or put them in a place of vunerability too. Children should never even be of concern here, if they’re young they go to the loo with their parent, who should ensure they don’t encroach on anyone elses privacy whilst they’re in there. Parenting rooms also have bathroom facilities for those dads with little girls who don’t feel comfortable taking them into them men’s room (which is completely understandable).

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  • • mom81879 replied
    • 06 Sep 2018 , 11:00 am

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  I’m sure people wouldn’t even notice transgenders in their male or female toilet. But put it to the vote, and all the bigotry would come out. I’m sure there are transgenders using public toilets now that we don’t know about. But why create unisex toilets for transgenders, a small minority, and at the same time compromising our kids safety. It’s just crazy

It’s sad these 2 opposite topic’s are mingling and causing such confusion and concern;
which toilet to use for your child when it can’t go to the toilet alone yet
and the alleged sex assaults happening in gender neutral facilities.
Safety first in my opinion: when our child is not safe alone on the toilet, then we should be able to accompany them, at least till a certain age.
When this doesn’t prove to be safe, we might need a certain checking system.
The fact that every 90 minutes a child is substantiated as having been sexually assaulted in Australia – that’s 1 in 5 children who are sexually harmed in some way before their 18th Birthday accounting for 58,000 children in all corners of Australia every year, is most concerning and disturbing. Something needs to happen !

I got comments about taking a 5 year old boy (a relative’s child, not mine) into the Females’ Toilet with me on a boat on which there was no Parents Room and the Disabled Toilet was occupied. Admittedly he is a little tall for his age. I refused to let him go into a Males Toilet alone.

Isn’t that what disabled toilets are used for? If you need to take your kids in to the opposite genders toilets for some reason then use the disabled toilet together? Or the parents room toilets?

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  • • groovygrandy replied
    • 06 Sep 2018 , 3:41 pm

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  To the mum who said “Isn’t this what Disabled toilets are for”…NO…Disabled toilets are for Disabled people to use. As a disabled person, I have lost count of the times I have had to wait to this facility because a parent or an able-bodied person is using it. In some instances, the baby-change table is located within, but for the most part, it is people who have no valid reason to use it. I have heard so many excuses..”I don’t want to leave my trolley outside”, or ” The pram doesn’t fit in the ‘normal’ toilet”. These are just two of the most common excuses I hear. When a disabled person needs to go…they need to go, they can’t wait for a parent and child using this vital facility, when that parent and child have access to regular toilets. It’s hard enough being disabled in an able-bodied world.
  The provision of Disabled Access public facilities is something disabled people and their supporters have lobbied long and hard for, they are a Legal requirement, not just a courtesy. The same goes for Disabled Parking spaces, again, a Legal requirement, not a courtesy. I am a parent and grandparent, and like many other mums, had to juggle kids, the pram and the shopping trolley, before my disability.
  Just because the toilet isn’t being used at the time, doesn’t mean it isn’t used at all, or is some sort of luxury, believe me it is not a luxury, it is a necessity.