PEN TOILETS

Darwin council alderman welcomes calls for gender free public restrooms in the CBD

A DARWIN council alderman has welcomed the idea of public toilets where patrons can choose the rest room they feel best suits their gender.

The issue sparked intense national debate last week when fans attending the AFL’s pride match between St Kilda and the Sydney Swans at Etihad Stadium were told to use toilets that “best fit your gender identity or expression”.

Alderman Robin Knox said it was a great idea and she supported people using the bathrooms best suited to their gender identity at large events, where male and female options were available.

“I like that sort of wording, it’s not pinpointing you as different,” she said.

“It’s a kind of respect, that we acknowledge there are people who are not just female or male gender and we respect all gender identities.”

She said gender neutral bathrooms were already in place through the form of other bathroom facilities.

“We actually have many gender-free bathrooms as all our self-cleaning bathrooms are gender-free,” she said.

“It is something we could consider by adding a gender neutral sign to the labelled bathrooms such as those in the Vic Arcade (in the CBD) – I’d be very happy to raise the idea with other elected members who I think would not oppose such an idea.”

While she supported the idea of non-gender bathrooms, Ms Knox acknowledged there was a convenience in keeping male and female bathrooms separate.

“The females need more time so they tend to have more toilets and I think for large areas, we’re probably still better to have separate areas – there are situations were you want to feed people in more quickly and it’s more practical because men are quicker,” she said. “I think we’ll always continue to have male and female bathrooms, where they are already established.”

Alderman Rebecca Want De Rowe said while she sup- ported many similar social issues, she thought gender neutral toilets was a step too far, and is not something she would be supporting if it came to council discussions.

“I am all for LGBTIQ rights, however I would not support gender neutral toilets,” she said. “I feel the community is accepting to see members of the opposite sex use to their toilets from time to time if that makes a person feel more comfortable (but) in terms of gender neutral toilets, this is just something I won’t support.”