Sydney Opera House apologises for ‘all gender bathroom’ incident
The Sydney Opera House has apologised for an uncomfortable urinal incident after its bathrooms were labelled “all gender” during Vivid.
National
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The Sydney Opera House has apologised for an uncomfortable urinal incident after converting its bathrooms to “all gender” during Vivid.
2GB host Ben Fordham said on Wednesday he had been informed by a listener about the incident at a concert over the weekend.
According to the listener, the Opera House had labelled the toilets “all gender bathrooms” and men and women were sharing the facility, with men using the urinals while women walked behind to use the cubicles.
The bathroom was located in the Joan Sutherland Theatre.
In an apology statement, an Opera House spokeswoman defended making the bathrooms “inclusive” but said a mix-up had occurred when someone removed covers that had been placed over the urinals.
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The statement said, “The Opera House offers all-gender bathrooms, alongside male and female bathrooms, during its festival events, including for Vivid LIVE. It is vital that the Opera House building – and the experiences offered – are welcoming, inclusive and accessible to all.
“During Vivid LIVE, the Box Office Foyer included separate female, all-gender and male bathrooms. The Opera House covered the urinals in the all-gender bathroom so they were not able to be used, however during Friday night’s performance a patron removed the urinal covers. We apologise if any patrons felt uncomfortable with this situation, and we reinstalled the covers with better weighting to prevent them being removed in future.
“The Opera House welcomes all feedback and values input from its audiences and visitors about the introduction of all-gender bathrooms at major events to ensure that everyone has a comfortable and enjoyable experience when attending the Opera House.”
The Opera House has been contacted for comment.
Earlier this year, an Adelaide high school copped backlash from parents after removing the doors to its bathroom blocks to make its toilets “gender neutral”.
That followed a similar move by a Brisbane high school, which parents slammed as “ridiculous” and the state opposition branded a “recipe for disaster”.
In 2019, the University of Technology Sydney also rolled out “all gender” bathrooms in a bid to “make students feel safe and welcome on campus”.
Erin, a member of the UTS Queer Collective who helped organise the campaign for all-gender bathrooms, told news.com.au at the time, “What motivated me to be involved in this campaign is that I’m a non-binary student who has been harassed in bathrooms in the past, and I experience social dysphoria as well as other types.
“Gender neutral bathrooms are something that have helped with reducing my dysphoria and anxiety about being verbally abused in a bathroom setting.”
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison once weighed in on the issue, ordering the removal of a sign in one of his offices encouraging people “please use the bathroom that best fits your gender identity”.
Originally published as Sydney Opera House apologises for ‘all gender bathroom’ incident
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