Written by Ankitha Gattupalli
Architects and the public have started to acknowledge the gender-driven design of public spaces. Across the world, urban areas have been a site of discrimination and danger to the LGBTQ+ community. Gender is demonstrated in public zones that promote visibility and interaction between people. An arduous challenge lays upon architects and planners to design fair environments and equitable spaces.
One such partial public space, that seem more private, are shared toilets. When it comes to gender inclusivity, toilets have been met with resistance and heated debate. For transgender people, the decision between using the men’s or women’s bathroom can be tough, even harmful. Nearly 70% of transgender people, in particular trans women, have undergone verbal harassment in gender-segregated bathrooms while almost 10% have reported physical assault. Activists have proposed the idea of “gender-neutral” toilets to prevent such atrocities, and prototypes have been mushrooming across countries like the United States, Canada, China, India, Nepal, Thailand, Brazil and Japan.
The modern-day gender-neutral bathroom is simply a public toilet that is accessible and designed for the use of any gender group. It can take the form of a single-user toilet, similar to those in private residences, or as a multi-user communal bathroom. Single-user toilets are straightforward in design - a washbasin and water closet enclosed in a private room. This typology maintains the privacy of the user and has worked well in shared environments. Multi-user public toilets, on the other hand, have required modifications in their designs to better cater to the public’s concerns. See more here.
