h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This discussion reminds me of a journey I made several years ago - by bus from Sweden to Egypt...

...there were around 125 persons, and you usually chose the shortest toilet queue, whether it was for the gents or the ladies...

...but then the tour leader told us this story:

It was the morning after a transvestite party in Konya, Turkey - our group had rented the entire basement disco of a restaurant, and decided that all women would dress up as men, and vice versa - quite harmless, and pretty hilarious...

...have you ever tried painting eye shadow on a man's eye lids, not to mention the mascara? Well, he keeps blinking all the time, so it's not the easiest thing in the world...

Anyway - our tour leader had dressed as a belly dancer (wearing costume he had bought in the bazaars of Istanbul) and some of the girls had helped him put on some make-up, and nail polish on finger as well as toe nails...

...the party ended very late in the morning, and he didn't bother to wash off the make-up before going to bed...

...in the morning, he discovered that the gents was... was... let's call it 'out of order'...

...so he went to the ladies instead - but when he came out, there were two American elder ladies waiting for their turn. He said 'Good morning!' but they only stared at him in horror, jaws dropped (well, he was still still wearing make-up, although slightly smeared, and painted fingernails, and toenails (he was wearing slippers) - but he *wasn'*t wearing the belly dance dress - they would probably have fainted if they had seen him in that!

I sometimes use the gents, but usually when they are not busy.

When in FRance and Belgium you have to get used to using the same one, and walking past men at the urinals, to get to a cubicle!

By the way... I'm sharing my flat with a guy, so we use the same bathroom... where's the problem? And, anyway, he has learned to sit while peeing, as most of the guys I know do.

Well, I was just at two Halloween parties. At both of them, there was quite often girls going into the gents. I suppose the ladies had a queue. At the one yesterday, at one point I walk in to find a girl standing there washing her hands. I decide to use a cubicle instead, but they are both busy. So I have to head over to the urinal. And while standing there, the cubicles open and the two girls who had been in them came out. And another one came in from the door. I felt rather out of place.

To be honest, I'm more in favour of ladies going to the toilets that say "ladies" on the door. I know a lot of ladies think they're being very "girl power" and "f**k authority" by going into the gents in nightclubs, but in the end, it isn't a pleasent situation for a row of guys standing schlong in hand when a girl strides in. Think very very seriously about how you would feel if there were completely open-plan ladies cubicles with no walls or doors and you'd just sat down to relieve yourself when a gang of drunk blokes walk in...

In my experience, ladies don't really want to observe that closely.

I've witnessed a lady using a urinal (don't ask) next to mine; the last thing she wanted to be doing was eyeing up anyone's tackle.

B

last thing she wanted to be doing was eyeing up anyone's tackle.

Maybe the view wasnt up to much


What is there to actually get freaked out about anyway

Ive known male friends who were petrified to go to the urinals in "gay" bars and get freaked out by women using the gents. Why?

Maybe Im just a born exhibitionist but Im not worried about anyone seeing me. Im aware that people might not want to and that's why i generally keep my clothes on in public places but if someones going to use a toilet they should know what they're likely to see.

odd things people....

Yeah - nowt so queer as folk.

As a bloke, I'd get arrested if I walked in to a ladies. To be honest a grid would do me (which is what some mens toilets are like actually), feel free to build bigger womens toilets at the expense of the mens toilet room rather than have women try and be "clever" and use the mens.

Or put a timer on the doors of women's stalls

It definitely would be more sensible to have twice as many women's loos as men. Especially in transport cafés when all those crowds of little old ladies arrive by the busload!

I used the Gents in rest stops or highway diners when the Ladies was more than occupied. I had a friend 'guard' the door and I did the same for her.

I've also used both the Gents and Ladies in a gay bar. Everyone did. Single person loos and it was sometimes difficult to tell the men from the women.

There's a restaurant in town that has a unisex bathroom (v. progressive for middle America). The cubicles all have clear glass. When you lock the door, the glass fogs over.

Sounds risky. What happens if the lock doesn't quite engage?

B

Showtime.

I'm not sure I'd be after a curtain call...

B

I would end up holding it or waiting for a cubicle with a working door. I'm pee-shy.

I would also stay out of a stall with such doors. What if it has a glitch or the power goes, does it go all see through? I think they had a similar thing on the UK Big Brother show.

I wouldn't use the gents - it's not so much about respecting authority as respecting privacy. The majority of women (at least those I've spoken to) would be horrified if a man walked into the ladies so why should it be ok the other way around? As someone else has so eloquently stated, men are standing there with their tackle in their hands!

But then I think urinals are weird - whoever thought it was a good idea for men to stand next to each other to pee? I mean please - at least put up little partitions. I don't know how men do it!

Deb

I remember my history teacher in high school telling me about how in soldier barracks they used to take the partitions away from the toilets, so they could sit and play cards while doing their business. That did seem a bit much for me.

A game of trumps, anyone?

B