Restroom law

[stealth2]

Am I *really* the only one here who has been in desperate need of a restroom, seen the length of the line for the "appropriate" one and said "oh hell no!" and used the opposite gender's? Without getting yelled at, beaten up, or arrested?

Such foolishness.

 

[cbg]

Probably not, no. But at the same time, I'm going on 62 and I have yet to see it happen that there was a long line at the men's but no line at the women's; however, I see the opposite weekly. The OP's insistence on having a written law on his person that will give him permission to use the women's is beginning to make me awfully suspicious of his motives.

 

[justalayman]

Such a ridiculous law would provide cover for any pervert who wanted to enter women's bathroom. "It was an emergency!" would be an awfully convenient (and hard to disprove) excuse.

It’s a shame we have to think that way and consider such possibilities when writing laws.

I would suspect/hope a prosecutor would be hesitant in charging a person where it was actually an emergency. Prosecutors aren’t all heartless and believe me, in such a emergency, you really don’t care what else is going on. It’s serious business.

 

[stealth2]

Probably not, no. But at the same time, I'm going on 62 and I have yet to see it happen that there was a long line at the men's but no line at the women's; however, I see the opposite weekly. The OP's insistence on having a written law on his person that will give him permission to use the women's is beginning to make me awfully suspicious of his motives.

I agree. But then, you also know my gender.

In all honesty? I really don't much care who else is in the bathroom. As long as they wash their hands.

And I agree w/jal - I don't see a prosecutor pursuing such a scenario, especially if the "perpetrator" had a diagnosis where such emergencies would be likely.

 

[cbg]

Nor do I. Which is why I'm growing somewhat suspicious of his insistence on having a written law he can show people.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Nor do I. Which is why I'm growing somewhat suspicious of his insistence on having a written law he can show people.

I do have a condition that at times causes an urgent need to use a restroom. And believe me, there are businesses that would prevent me from using the women's bathroom if the men's bathroom was full even if the women's bathroom was completely unoccupied. And under Colorado law, the business would be justified in doing that because no law says it can't. That would be the reason for having such a law — it would force the business to accommodate me. the OP, and others who have a medical condition that prompts an immediate need to use the restroom. This isn't about whether a prosecutor might file some kind of charges should I go into the women's restroom. It's about whether the business could prevent me from doing it in the first place. So to this extent I sympathize with the OP.

Pretty unreal that a state wouldn't make a law that accommodates both male and female in case of an emergency restroom visit.

So far as I know, no state has such a law that goes as far as allowing one sex to use the restroom of the other when a medical need requires urgent use of a restroom. If any state does it is very much the unusual one. Certainly Colorado does not have such a law. And the reason for it is obvious: most of the public would not support such a law because of privacy concerns, a lot of people don't want persons of the opposite sex barging into a restroom they are in regardless of the urgent need the person may have to use a restroom.

The reality is that with such a condition you have to do some planning yourself to deal with the possibility that there may not be a restroom immediately available to you to use. It's not fun, but you are likely to find yourself in that situation at some point, and it's best to be prepared for that.

 

[cbg]

Okay, my last word on the subject.

Those of you with a Y chromosome are missing my main point; which is that it simply does not happen that there will be a line for the men's and none at the women's. There is a physiological and biological reason why that simply does not occur. I am not unsympathetic to the OP's situation, but it is also true that he is never going to have to use the women's room because there is a line at the men's room; if there is a line at the men's I guarantee there is a longer one at the women's. And if they're one-holer's, no one is going to care if he uses the women's and he certainly won't be arrested for it. At worst he might get a black look if there's a woman waiting for it when he comes out.

So he can put his fears away and stop looking for written permission to use the women's restroom. I believe upthread there was a reference to a law that will allow him to use the employee restroom; he might want to keep that one on file instead.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Okay, my last word on the subject.

Those of you with a Y chromosome are missing my main point; which is that it simply does not happen that there will be a line for the men's and none at the women's.

I'm calling the challenge flag on this one. You are turning this into a male vs. female issue, and that's unfair. It's pretty clear to me that you have not faced the kind of medical issue that causes an urgent need to use a restroom and thus have likely not really considered the full universe of bathroom situations out there. I have thought of the full universe of restrooms out there out of necessity.

Sure, at stadiums, concert halls, and the like the unfortunate reality for women is that such venues often do not build larger capacity for women to take into account that on average they need more time in the restroom than men do, thus prompting those longer lines for women's restrooms at those places, at least at peak periods of demand. But at off peak periods, it may well be the case that one — men's or women's — is completely full while the other is not.

And consider other places like smaller restaurants, for example, in which the use of restrooms by either sex is sporadic and the restrooms themselves small. It can be the case, and I've seen it often, where one of those is full and the other is not used at all at any particular point in time. After all, if there is just one or two stalls there, it doesn't take much for one to be completely occupied. So the use of each restroom fluctuates throughout the day/night, with times where one or the other is actually empty. This is the most common circumstance in which such a law might be most helpful. That said, I understand why such a law would make many people uncomfortable which is why states do not enact them.

 

[cbg]

I'm not turning it into male vs. female. Nature did that. And don't assume what I have and have not faced medically. It is, in fact, because I have had that problem in the past that I can speak with certainty as to where the lines are.

 

[justalayman]

I do have a condition that at times causes an urgent need to use a restroom. And believe me, there are businesses that would prevent me from using the women's bathroom if the men's bathroom was full even if the women's bathroom was completely unoccupied. And under Colorado law, the business would be justified in doing that because no law says it can't. That would be the reason for having such a law — it would force the business to accommodate me. the OP, and others who have a medical condition that prompts an immediate need to use the restroom. This isn't about whether a prosecutor might file some kind of charges should I go into the women's restroom. It's about whether the business could prevent me from doing it in the first place. So to this extent I sympathize with the OP.



So far as I know, no state has such a law that goes as far as allowing one sex to use the restroom of the other when a medical need requires urgent use of a restroom. If any state does it is very much the unusual one. Certainly Colorado does not have such a law. And the reason for it is obvious: most of the public would not support such a law because of privacy concerns, a lot of people don't want persons of the opposite sex barging into a restroom they are in regardless of the urgent need the person may have to use a restroom.

The reality is that with such a condition you have to do some planning yourself to deal with the possibility that there may not be a restroom immediately available to you to use. It's not fun, but you are likely to find yourself in that situation at some point, and it's best to be prepared for that.

Ya lost me.. are you suggestimg all businesses you enter have some sort of bathroom monitor? When I had my urgency issues I wasn’t asking anybody. Unless an employee happened to see a person enter the women’s bathroom. And followed them in and demanded they leave, I’m not seeing where there would be anybody to stop you from using the women’s restroom

And due to the speed wihjch my urgency mandated, I would already be in the process of relieving myself by the time an employee caught up with me and I sure as heck wouldn’t stop due to a thing the employee said.

 

[justalayman]

I'm not turning it into male vs. female. Nature did that. And don't assume what I have and have not faced medically. It is, in fact, because I have had that problem in the past that I can speak with certainty as to where the lines are.

I can assure you there are times the opposite is true. Heck, a simple example would be when there is a meeting consisting of only men at a given business. If there is some set break time, it’s totslly possible the men’s facilities would be fully engaged and the women’s totally empty.

I think arguing about whether it could happen where the men’s facilities were fully engaged and the women’s not also fully engaged is silly. It can happen. Whether it is common or not doesn’t matter, it can happen.

 

[cbg]

Fine. Whatever you guys say.

 

[stealth2]

It's pretty clear to me that you have not faced the kind of medical issue that causes an urgent need to use a restroom and thus have likely not really considered the full universe of bathroom situations out there.

LOL Says someone who may not have had a 5+ pound weight bouncing around on one's bladder...

 

[stealth2]

Heck, a simple example would be when there is a meeting consisting of only men at a given business. If there is some set break time, it’s totslly possible the men’s facilities would be fully engaged and the women’s totally empty.

And it is reasonable to assume such a meeting would occur in an office setting where it would be handled in a discrete manner.

 

[justalayman]

And it is reasonable to assume such a meeting would occur in an office setting where it would be handled in a discrete manner.

Or in a convention center or a hotel meeting room.

The urgency often doesn’t allow one to be discrete. It’s a “blast off in 5...4...3...2..

Whoops, my mind was a second behind my butt’s countdown”


And yes, it has been that urgent. The pain is indescribable.