"Gender neutral" public toilets to be built in UK

The Brighton and Hove City Council, England, has scrapped male and female public toilets in favor of "gender neutral" facilities.

Facilities to be built are designed to be shared by adults and children and do not feature the words "Men" or "Ladies" but instead will show symbols indicating they can be used by people of any sex or age.

The move was described as "political correctness gone barmy" by opponents, who warned that the vast majority of residents would prefer to use single-sex lavatories.

The Brighton and Hove City Council disclosed in emails that it wished to promote the term “gender neutral” and build facilities which are open to all, regardless of sex.

It believed such facilities will be more accessible for those who do not identify with the male-female binary.

The block will include four new lavatories and a café. Images depicting a man, a woman and a child will be fitted to the doors.

Lynda Hyde, a Tory councilor in the Rottingdean ward, in which a new facility is being built, said: "This does seem to be a case of unnecessary bureaucracy and political correctness."

Xinhua