‘Children should not be scared to use the loo’ – Edinburgh reacts to unisex toilets for primary school kids

Readers have been giving their views over parents’ angry reaction to the introduction of unisex toilets at Mayfield Primary school in Midlothian.

Unixex loos at Mayfield Primary have sparked controversy

It’s awful. My daughter is in P7 and doesn’t go to the loo at school all day due to them being unisex. Also, our school has open plan classrooms, the most ridiculous idea ever! School boards and builders need to get a grip and stop this lunacy.

Emma Hogg Cassar

I don’t agree with unisex toilets, my daughter won’t use the toilet at school. I think it’s asking for trouble.

The Jenners store on Princes Street is not the same

Leane Morton

Children should not be scared to use the loo. I understand the need to encourage diversity but having only one set of toilets for all is not on. As an adult it is weird and awkward when I use the unisex toilets. I can only imagine what it’s like if you are a child.

Lindsay Jarvis

I think it’s a load of nonsense! By all means have one toilet on each floor ‘unisex’, but leave the rest of them separate for girls and boys.....which is as it should be!

Jacqueline Carpenter

The school I teach at has unisex loos but there is a wall between the girls and boys toilets.

Rebekah Ramsden

Here’s an idea. How about letting any child (and there surely can’t be many) who identifies as something other than their birth gender, use the staff toilets – see how that goes down!

Graham Walker

Sorry, I just don’t get it. I thought you were either a boy or a girl. The world has gone crazy, very sad.

Scott A Hyslop

Not a good idea. I totally don’t agree with this. How awkward and embarrassing for these children.

Carol Halliday

My five-year-old’s primary school has unisex toilets. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first, but haven’t heard of any issues so far.

Sara Robertson

How to add more confusion for the kids. Yes, wee one at school, you use the same washroom as the boys, but outside in the real world the girls use the girls toilets and the boys use the boys. So now I’m confused, who is right and who is wrong?

Lynne Gallacher

Something far wrong in society if we are having unisex toilets in primary school. Let the kids be kids, they are too young at this stage to know what they want to be. If a primary 2 kid comes and says I don’t want to come to school anymore I want to go to work, do we let them?

Wendy Littlejohn

I think it will become less of an issue as time goes on. Meanwhile, I would assume that the toilets will be policed by teachers at breaks and lunchtimes.

Laine Gray

If I had a daughter, she would be taken out of that school.

Carolynn Hope

Why in the world of kids do you need unisex toilets? Come on Midlothian Council, get a grip. Leave the kids alone. It’s time we fought back for normality. I had fights with Dalkeith High School in the late 80s for locking toilets up during the day. Councillor at time reversed that.

Diane Simpson

The new James Gillespie’s High School has gender neutral toilets and there is no problem. It is the way forward. Most universities, some bars and restaurants have gender neutral toilets too. If younger children get used to it at an early age, it isn’t a big deal when they’re out and about when they’re older. Times are changing for things to be inclusive – about time too...let’s embrace it!

Joanna McKenzie

Reader reaction on the future of Princes Street

In a few weeks, Edinburgh City Council is due to unveil the results of its public consultation on Princes Street’s future.

I am from Edinburgh but now live abroad. I walked the length of Princes Street. I was so sad to see how tacky it had become. Popped into Jenners and it was simply not the same, since the family sold out. I sadly think the rot will continue as more and more shopping goes online.

Christopher Hunter

Princes Street can have a future as much as a past but only if Edinburgh City Council accepts the responsibility and grasps the opportunity – and that’s the problem, they don’t and they won’t.

Andrew Heald

On a recent visit to Jenners I was very disappointed. Atmosphere all gone, Hamleys gone and an excuse of a toy department in its place. Spoke to tourists who asked directions and they weren’t impressed. A ghost store!

Trisha Smith

Jenners is just another boring chain store nowadays; there is nothing worth going in for. I wish it could go back to being independent, different and a showcase for all that is Scottish.

Helen McNeill

Too dear. We have got the internet now and we are not so gullible.

Rab Doherty

Rents and rates extortionate.

Kristine Robinson

Edinburgh is a joke of a capital city. Everywhere else has moved with the times with councils/governments giving non-offensive rates and incentives for businesses to develop and flourish, contributing to the environment for locals and tourists alike. Disgusting how they have allowed this to go on for so long which makes the chance of outside investment low. The new St James and Whisky Experience will help east and west of Princes Street but they’d better think fast because everything in between is about to get even worse. It’s a dead zone.

Randle McMurphy