s/o FMLA

Future Mrs Butterworth

A bank worker assigned a genderless toilet by his employer HSBC after he started dressing as a woman in the first stage of a sex change has logged a complaint against the banking giant, a news report said Thursday. The 55-year-old senior IT manager claims he has been not been able to use either the men’s or ladies’ staff toilets since he officially switched genders at the beginning of August. Instead, he claims his employer has assigned his a “genderless toilet” in an act of discrimination against him. The worker, surnamed Wong, is currently taking female hormone tablets and is set to have the sex change operation in November, the report in the Hong Kong Standard said. In the meantime, he claims he should be allowed to use the female washroom and has taken his fight to the Equal Opportunities Commission.How dare HSBC treat Wong this way?!  It’s a hate crime, pure and simple.  What’s the point of being a pre-op if you’ve forced to use you’re own private bathroom?  Half the fun of switching genders is hanging out on the bowl, talking office gossip with the rest of the gals in the next stalls.  And letting them enjoy the giant dumps coming out of your still-man-sized digestive system.  I’m shocked and appalled that an international banking conglomerate would still be practicing this kind of discrimination in this day and age.PS.  I’m thinking very seriously of stuffing my shirt and claiming I’m taking hormones if it will mean I no longer have to share an employee toilet with the fat, smelly bastards I work with.

baconsmom

Why didn't Wong just start using the ladies' room? I don't know about y'all, but I do not stand at the door and do a junk inspection before I go in to pee. I couldn't care less if there's a dude in the next stall.

Future Mrs Butterworth

I agree, it's ridiculous.

L_Woods

So, the fact that creating a unisex toilet (genderless, IMO) is really the only way to keep others from complaining about sharing the woman's restroom with a man (prior to surgery) doesn't really count? WTF were they supposed to do?

zsazsa-stl

WTH at complaining about a private bathroom?But at the same time, would you have a problem with somone "in transition" using the women's bathroom at your office?  I wouldn't even think twice about it as long as he wasn't some pervy man pretending to be in transition so that he could take photos under the stall door or something. 

L_Woods

Ditto Wz. Someone in transition is no different than another woman and I really hate being in there at the same time as other people.

Future Mrs Butterworth

I'd be concerned until after the surgery, frankly. Only because you don't *know* for a fact that he's in it for all the right reasons, unless he's actually had the surgery.

jessjo04

I think s/he should use the mens room until the surgery. If you can pee standing up, you should be using the mens bathroom.

VarunaTT

Is he sitting down to pee?  B/c if he isn't, he needs to go into the men's room still.  I don't think I'd care if he was in the bathroom with me since he's taking the hormones, living his life as a woman, and has the surgery scheduled.  But I know other women would.  I think the genderless bathroom is a solid compromise for those that would feel uncomfortable with it.I mean, everyone should get to make decisions for themselves.  But that decision shouldn't be forced upon other people, especially in an environment like work where you  might not have the option to just go to a different bathroom.