The Good Night Out Campaign is collaborating with anti-violence charity, Galop, to promote gender-inclusive toilets in nightlife venues, following a government review on increasing accessibility to toilets, which was criticised by LGBTQ+ groups for excluding trans and non-binary people. A 2020 report from Galop found 50% of trans people are afraid to use public toilets through fear of discrimination, harassment and violence, so the charity is hoping to aid this issue ahead of the potential reopening of nightclubs and bars this summer.
Galop and Good Night Out Campaign have created a toolkit to help venues create safer bathroom facilities for trans gender-diverse people. The toolkit includes suggestions on how nightlife venues can improve toilet signage, and cites testimonies from trans and non-binary people who have faced discrimination when using public facilities. It also noted that cisgender, butch-presenting lesbians frequently face harassment in toilets.
Bryony Beynon, director of the Good Night Out Campaign, said LGBTQ+ people and women are “disproportionately” affected by harassment and assault adding: “Enforcing gender norms by policing bathrooms through compulsory segregation or assuming where someone ‘should’ be does not prevent violence and can actually help create a conducive context for it.” They said the campaign hopes to “cut through the noise and provide some caring, common sense guidance on this issue” and promote inclusivity in public toilets to increase safety for vulnerable groups.
