Outrage as student denied entry to train station toilet for not ‘looking’ disabled

A student has unleashed on Sydney Trains after he was reportedly refused entry to an accessible toilet for “not looking” disabled.

An outraged passenger has lashed out at Sydney Trains after claiming he was denied entry to an accessible toilet because he didn’t “look” disabled.

Sebastian Tomas Sargent, a UK university student who moved to Australia last month, claimed the incident occurred at Sydney’s Central Station at about 7pm on Tuesday.

“I have just been denied entry to the disabled/unisex toilet here because ‘I don’t look like I need it enough’,” he said in a TikTok video.

“For reasons I won’t go into, when I use a public toilet, I have to use the disabled toilet otherwise I can get panic attacks.”

When Mr Sargent asked an employee to unlock the toilet for him, the staff member reportedly asked who it was for and when finding out it was for the student claimed the bathroom was “for disabled people only”.

When the traveller asked how he would know he isn’t disabled just from looking at him, the Sydney Trains employee responded: “Look at you, you look good man, Yeah, no, no you’re fine. Go and use the other one”.

The student aired his frustrations in a TikTok video. Picture: realtomsargent/TikTok

He claimed the employee told him he ‘looked fine’ when he asked to use the disabled toilet. Picture: realtomsargent/TikTok

When retelling the frustrating encounter, Mr Sargent also pointed out that it wasn’t only a disabled bathroom, it was a disabled and unisex toilet.

“It is particularly intended so that gender queer and non-binary people can have somewhere to use and feel comfortable. I am a man, so that doesn’t apply to me, but I have my own reasons for needing to use the disabled/unisex toilet,” he said.

“First of all, the fact he said to me you are clearly not disabled, you look absolutely fine is like, how ridiculous.

“People with MS, autistic spectrum disorder or IBS – I actually do have IBS but that’s not my reason for not being able to use the regular toilet – you can’t tell that from looking at them.”

He also noted there could be a plethora of other reasons for people needing to use an accessible toilet, including people who have endured traumatic experiences that would make using public toilets distressing for them.

Sydney Trains said it was investigating the incident. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Mr Sargent said he was upset by the situation, but explained that “thankfully” there were two disabled/unisex toilets and when he went to the upstairs one he was “let in immediately without question”.

A Sydney Trains spokesperson told news.com.au that they were aware of the incident and an investigation was underway.

“Sydney Trains takes these matters very seriously. All customers are welcome on our rail network and we are undertaking a thorough investigation of this incident,” the spokesperson said.

“Family accessible toilets are open during the hours that stations are attended by our staff, and we will ensure that all our staff are reminded of this.

“As part of our commitment to inclusion, Sydney Trains has recently implemented the ‘Sunflower Program’ to raise awareness about hidden disabilities and how we can support customers who might need assistance.”