It all started so reasonably. Jenny and her friends were waiting in line for empty restroom cubicles during the theatre intermission when Susan in frustration cried out "I wish I had my 'Shewee'!"
It was an age-old complaint that there weren't enough cubicles for women in public restrooms while the men never had to wait for space at a urinal. The 'Shewee' in question was a shaped plastic funnel Susan used on hiking trips to pee standing up after an unfortunate incident with poison ivy.
"What would you do if you had it? Peeing in the sink is hardly hygienic!" sighed Jenny fidgeting uncomfortably with an overfull bladder.
"I'd use the men's toilet!" exclaimed Susan. "In fact I bet if we all did that this theatre and other places like it they would soon fit more cubicles. Imagine how we could make the men feel as we leaned over at the urinal to pass a few disparaging remarks about the size of their equipment."
The scenes from that evening to Jenny's meeting with her lawyer had an inevitability about their progression. Nichola, the ultra-smart legal mind of their gang, suggested that by claiming they were men they could take advantage of the new law that prohibited anyone using a toilet whose gender marker didn't match the user's birth certificate. "Nobody can be expected to carry their birth certificate with them so they can't stop us." was Nichola's rationale.
What nobody imagined was that the police would be called and that they would take DNA swabs from all of them? The moment in the men's toilet belonged to the gang but now they were all due in court where they would face the full weight of the new law. All that is except Jenny, which was why she was with her lawyer trying to find a way of being found guilty along with her friends who had no idea of her early life as John.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them.
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Comments
Nice story and definitely an
Nice story and definitely an idea that has come. Thankfully, there are a few, but extremely rare facilities that now have more restrooms/Loos for women than for men. The idea has finally gotten across to designers that this needs to be done. Where the fall down is, and needs to be corrected, is that the Mothers, Wives, Sisters and Daughters, and even Mistresses of designers, engineers and the owners of large facilities need to take on their Sons and DEMAND these locations provide more amenities for women. PLUS the building codes need to be corrected to also REQUIRE this to be done. It sounds rather tacky, but a full time management analysis IN RESTROOMS should be performed across the various nations to PROVE why women around the world complain about the lack of adequate restroom facilities and locations. Janice Lynn
Twisted logic
As you pointed out Janice, the accountants seem unwilling to recommend increasing the number of cubicles in women's restrooms despite there being a shortage and my twisted logic produced a cheapskate plot by accountants and politicians to solve the imbalance by forcing some women to use men's toilets. Jenny's friends were my female knights in shining armour on our side against the politicians at the expense of Jenny's dilemma
Rhona McCloud
Interestingly enough
When I went to write my story, I decided to actually look up the numbers required in Illinois, where I live. Here's a Link to the requirements. There are more women's facilities than men's, it just isn't that many (even for a 20,000 seat arena it is only 16 more).
This might surprise our American sisters.
In the UK, despite having signs on the doors, these signs are in fact invalid. The is no law in the UK that differentiates between male and female lavatories. A woman can freely use a male lavatory and vice-versa.
The only lavatories restricted by law to the signs on the doors are in fact the 'invalid or disabled lavatories' designated only for disabled people. It is a breach of law to enter one of these if one is not disabled.
Pre the turn of the last century (Approx 1900) men and women used to share facilities as and where they MIGHT be provided - if at all.
It is only modern 'custom and practice' that has conditioned Britons to separating when attending bodily functions and this practice was later adopted by Europeans. Even today, some countries in Europe still have public unisex lavatories.
Some American politicians are seriously 'up their own 'a-------s' about what is an essential function. Are they the same about breast feeding?
I have seen unisex restroom in US.
I have encountered them a few, and I do not mean single use lock the door facilities. Most notably there is* at least one college in my area that mostly has unisex bathrooms. They do seem to have one each of the more normal type in each building however as an option.
*(It is possible they may have changed since I was last there.)
>i< ..:::
France
A fair number of the facilities we used on our holidays in France were unisex. The only people who were surprised at finding mixed genders in the restrooms were usually tourists. I think it might have been the old 'liberte, fraternite, egalite' thing that encouraged the French to do that.
Heh. I did a quick double check on reading your post. Invalid versus invalid? The old ones are usually the best ones.
Penny
Some American politicians are
Some American politicians are seriously 'up their own 'a-------s' about what is an essential function. Are they the same about breast feeding?
As a matter of fact, yes, many are.
So is a very vocal segment of the public.
Brooke brooke at shadowgard dot com
http://brooke.shadowgard.com/
Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls
It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world
"Lola", the Kinks
Architects Need Education
I have long been an advocate of differential facilities for men and women in terms of numbers of cubicles in public facilities. To me it's obvious that women need twice as many as men. Why is this not obvious to the designers of those buildings? Just look at the queues in any mall and you can see that women are not served at the ladies toilets to the same extent as men.
Nicely done
with a neat twist at the end - aye, there's the rub.
Angharad
The American version of the lavatory/toilet choice was tricky…
… but with luck the legislation will soon have '…shuffled off this mortal coil.' "No Simon!"
Rhona McCloud
To Wee, or not to Wee
No commentator has mentioned Family Restrooms. Father with Daughter, Mother with Son etc.
Which brings up the question.
How would they handle the "Father with Daughter, Mother with Son" problem under the current two sex system in relation to this new law?
>i< ..:::
PS. How do they decide where the intersexed go?
Intersexed, no problem
I have my fingers in my ears and my eyes firmly shut -
Intersexed DO NOT EXIST. Them docs need new glasses.
:P
Penny
Jenny has a bigger problem
Jenny has a bigger problem than not being found guilty with her friends.
Since the authorities now know that she is XY, it's rather likely that someone will decide to keep an eye on her and arrest her for using the women's restroom in the future.
Brooke brooke at shadowgard dot com
http://brooke.shadowgard.com/
Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls
It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world
"Lola", the Kinks
To wee ir not to wee
Just to balance out the argument a bit ..... Is it not fair to say that possibly more room could be found for stalls if extra space was not required for the interaction, social and grooming areas that women value but which males spurn. Anatomy too ensures a higher throughput of men due to the ability to "stand and deliver"
Are the restroom laws inclusive or exclusive?
Would Florida peacekeepers harass Jenny because of a gene analysis? Maybe I should have mentioned that lawyer Nichola was the chimeric mother of three reported as having largely male cells reported in Nature on 18th Februarry 2015- Sex Redefined
Rhona McCloud
WHY!
Why would any woman want to use a male Toilet - from what I remember they are dirty disgusting places with pee all over the place!
But I fully sympathise with the lack of space in female toilets there should be a law where for every male urinal is installed 5 ladies cubicles must be installed.
Great little story Rhona
Christina
Restroom riot
War is ugly especially when you have to invade the enemy's home. In the restroom war the enemy isn't men in general, just the ones responsible for the paucity of women's facilities.
Rhona McCloud
I used the scenario
of women using a men's toilet in an early episode of Bike,(part 86), the irony being that Cathy was pre-op which was unknown to the invading women who dragged her along.
Angharad
After making my comment, I will read the others
I firmly believe ' when you have to go you go' Many times when single restrooms are present, and the mens busy, I use the ladies room, complaints be damned.
By the way, the sticky men's room floors prevent slipping. No sofas either. 8-)
Kevin
The Answer
I would say that the answer's obvious.
Nice flush -- excuse me, flash.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)