Brighton Council to open 'gender neutral' public toilets as it 'phases out male and female lavatories'

A new development will include toilets that can be used by any adult or child

Brighton and Hove city council want to 'promote term gender neutral'

Opponents described change in signage as 'unnecessary bureaucracy'

Toilets will not feature the words 'men' and 'ladies' but universal symbols



Plans: A development being built in Rottingdean, East Sussex, part-funded by Brighton and Hove city council, will feature toilets that do not use the words 'men' or 'ladies' but have symbols denoting that they can be used by anybody (stock image)

A council is planning to replace traditional male and female lavatories with 'gender neutral' toilets in an attempt to facilitate the transgender community.

The facilities will avoid using the words 'men' and 'ladies', instead using symbols that indicate they can be used by people of any sex.

But the plans to change signage on the toilets, which will be used by both adults and children, have attracted criticism and been described as 'political correctness'.



Brighton and Hove city council chiefs said that they wished to ' promote the term gender neutral' in emails discussing the proposed block on Rottingdean seafront, East Sussex.



The £140,000 development, which will include a cafe and four lavatories, is being joint-funded by a Rottingdean Parish Council and the city council.

Conservative councillor Lynda Hyde expressed her dissatisfaction at the development, with construction set to commence this week, describing the plans as ' unnecessary bureaucracy'.

She told the Daily Telegraph: 'Local residents, particularly women with children, would much prefer to use separate facilities as apart from anything else, it is safer.



'If the male/female symbols, rather than any text, are to be used on the toilet then this avoids any confusion, so why is the council muddying the waters by insisting they are called gender neutral, which will mean nothing to most people?'

The councillor from the Rottingdean ward claimed that the city council were planning to gradually phase out single-sex lavatories.

Promote: Brighton and Hove city council chiefs said that they wished to 'promote the term gender neutral' in emails discussing the proposed

Brighton has a gay, lesbian and transgender population of approximately 40,000.



The development, due to take 12 weeks to complete, follows the creation of a city council working group 'into making it fairer for trans people to live, work and socialise in Brighton and Hove'.

Mrs Hyde added: 'The parish council, which is part funding this toilet, actually wanted to have separate male and female toilets, which would also have been my preference and, I suspect, the preference of most local residents.

'However, the city council in their wisdom, decided otherwise.'

Parish councillor Frank Considine said a sign will shortly be placed on the fencing around the site describing the toilets as 'gender neutral'.

An image of a male, female and child will also be fitted to the doors when complete.

