The Old Vic Issues Statement On Gender Neutral Loos

The Old Vic recently celebrated the reopening of its front of house spaces following a major restoration project to improve accessibility and "double the number of ladies' loos".

However, that latter point has proved controversial following the theatre's announcement that its new toilet facilities will be gender neutral - divided, instead of into men's and women's, into one block with just cubicles and one that also houses urinals.

The Old Vic issued a statement on Friday on its website: "Thanks to everyone for your feedback. This has been one of the most commented on innovations that we have tried in recent years, with opinion evenly split on this deeply personal topic. The More Loos fundraising campaign was to raise funds towards doubling the loo provision available to women and therefore reduce queue times. Through the building project the number of cubicles available to women situated in blocks that do not contain urinals has increased from 12 to 24 and, subsequently, queue times have been reduced. This includes one new individual gender neutral loo with an enclosed sink for single use. We are so grateful to everyone who donated for helping us to achieve this ambitious goal. If anyone would like to discuss their donation they can reach us at feedback@oldvictheatre.com.

"At The Old Vic the most important thing to us is running a theatre that is welcoming and comfortable for those who visit us, and that is fundamentally opposed to prejudice or intimidation. We are therefore incredibly appreciative of the wider comments on our new loos and have carefully listened to all viewpoints (before and since) to ensure that the right provision is offered. If you want to see how the loos work in practice, come and visit us - and keep your feedback coming. We read it all and it does inform our thinking as we navigate the best way, within the constraints of a Grade II* listed building and the legal requirements placed upon us, to ensure that everyone feels welcome."

Writing in The Times, Caroline Criado Perez said: "I commend the Old Vic for including gender-neutral facilities. These are important for all sorts of reasons, from care-giving to people who feel uncomfortable in single-sex bathrooms. Yet many people also feel uncomfortable in gender-neutral facilities for reasons ranging from awkwardness, to religion, to fear. And those needs should be catered for as well.

"The frustrating thing is that it would be easy to do this: all the theatre needs to do is label some of its cubicle-only lavatories as women-only. You have urinals for men, gender-neutral for people who need it and women-only for women who need that. Problem solved."

The Stage has run editorials on both sides of the debate - but decided today to take both down, following reader response.

In her piece, Amber Massie-Blomfield argued: "It's incumbent on a civilised society to protect the most vulnerable people within it. Some have argued that trans and non-binary people make up only a small percentage of the UK's population - but it is precisely because the rights of this community are likely to be overlooked, and their voices go unheard, that we need to fight for them. The Old Vic's decision to make these changes to their toilets is doing exactly that, and they should be applauded."

Meanwhile, also in The Stage, Sarah Ditum said that "provision continues to favour men, but in some ways the situation is even worse than it was before, because now men have free access to the only toilets that women can use.

"[...] The Old Vic has made an incomprehensible decision here, betraying the terms of the original fundraiser, and women are angry about it. A theatre with inadequate women's toilets, or without women's toilets at all, is a theatre that doesn't care whether there are women in its audience."

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