Saturday, April 05, 2008

No privacy for men?


The other day I was in a railway station in a place called Reading, which is a town just outside London. I needed to go to the toilet, so i found the men's toilet and as I walked in I noticed a sign which said something along the lines of 'This toilet is cleaned by both men and women'. It puzzled me briefly as I couldn't believe that a woman cleaner would be allowed in the men's toilet - surely as private a place for a man as you can get - whilst men were actually in there. Yet, if the women cleaners were only let in when no male members of the public were in there, why bother with the sign? My question was soon answered when I saw a female cleaner walking around in there, whilst a man stood at one of the urinals, penis in his hand. This was one of those 'WTF?!' moments I occasionally have where the world just doesn't seem coherent at all, and I wonder if I'm missing something.

Is it me? Am I being too prudish? Or is this just bizarre, and an invasion of privacy? How would you feel if you were in a toilet with your penis out and a woman was walking around? Have you experienced this in a public toilet before, or is this a new phenomenon?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bad enough we have to pee in front of men, but women now? It's ridiculous. This is no new thing though, I was once walked in on by a woman. Very off-putting.

mike savell said...

You will probably get your collar felt for exposing yourself.We have men cleaners for womens' toilets
but only when closed so-----?

Anonymous said...

To be honest since most cleaners are women this is probably not uncommon. Certainly in the building where I am at the moment the toilet cleaners are all women. I don't take exception to this. They are usually discrete and leave the door open when they are at work so you know they are there. Also to be honest they are not the sort of women one could take exception to. Mostly they are old and working at a not very pleasant job for not much money.

Anonymous said...

But in this situation I'd say it was an invasion of privacy. Its a case of : either deal with it or don't use the toilet. Why should men and boys have to put up with it?

I don't see what the pleasantness of the cleaners job has to do with it? (I don't think anyone is under the illusion that its a desirable job). What I'm getting at here is a principle: that of right to privacy.

Anonymous said...

sounds like they are setting the stage for more rape propaganda

http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/04/04/rape_t/index.html


DKSanctuary

Anonymous said...

This used to be fairly routine in France. One might be away in a dream standing at a urinal in one of the big city railway stations, then some little old lady would wander past with a mop and bucket. Don't think I ever caught one snatching a perv though.

Anonymous said...

The fact that this is normal in France makes me even MORE convinced that its wrong! LOL!

Anonymous said...

I met a plumber on his way into the lady's toilet to do some work; so the situation is not all one sided. I asked him if he had ever seen 'any sights'. He told me the worst thing he has seen.

Anonymous said...

well i don mind. i will show her my penis and make her aroused. and sex her

Anonymous said...

All female nurses are perverts and unprofessional

S.D. Beach Boy said...

Q: Is it me? Am I being too prudish? Or is this just bizarre, and an invasion of privacy?
A: I don't see it as an invasion of privacy being that there is a sign posted alerting men that both men and women clean the room. It constitutes proper notice. A man entering the toilet has options. If he doesn't want a female cleaner seeing him exposed at the urinal, he can use a stall. If he doesn't care, he can use the urinal.

Q: How would you feel if you were in a toilet with your penis out and a woman was walking around?
A: If I've already started to pee, I could care less. I'm where I'm supposed to be and I'll continue peeing. There were a few times that I walked into a mens toilet and saw women (women) in the room. I walked up to the urinal, unzipped, took junior out, and stood there for a minute. Nothing would come out. It was performance anxiety. L.O.L.! Once I got the flow started, I was fine. After a few times, I was desensitized and started to pee right away. It's funny when they're standing right next to you at the sink.

Q: Have you experienced this in a public toilet before, or is this a new phenomenon?
A: My 5th grade teacher (female) used to come into the boys room and stand right at the side of the urinals and watch us like a hawk. It was weird at first, and then we got used to her being there. She made sure that we didn't misbehave.

There have been numerous times at bars and concerts that women use the mens room. In those venues, I've come to expect it. Sometimes a single dad will bring his daughter in with him while he uses the urinal. It's happened to me several times, and it's always a trip.

The bottom line: It's a MENS ROOM. When I enter a mens room to pee, I'll pee no matter who is there. If women and/or girls are in there, they should expect to see a penis or 2 as the men pee in the urinals. If they don't like it, don't enter.