'So do I sit or stand?' Netizens divided by gender-neutral toilet at Suntec City

How would you do your business in a gender-neutral toilet — sitting down or standing up?

This was one of the questions that netizens posed after a picture of a gender-neutral toilet at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre was uploaded to the SgFollowsAll Instagram page yesterday (Aug 17).

Signage pointing to the direction of the gender-neutral bathroom read: "This restroom may be used by any person regardless of gender identity or expression."

It is accompanied by a gender-neutral toilet symbol while a disabled toilet symbol can also be seen below.

Describing the gender-neutral label of the toilet as 'woke', several users took to the comments section to express their dissatisfaction. One netizen questioned: "Why can't they just call it a unisex toilet instead of using a woke label?"

"Handicapped toilets are gender neutral ... don't be so woke please," another urged.

Woke is slang referring to being aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues especially issues of racial and social justice.

Others pointed out however that handicapped toilets have always been used by all genders and the toilet is "nothing new" and "just explained it in words".

Some were also concerned about the safety of gender-neutral toilets and worried that it could lead to more cases of sexual assault and harassment.

"Creeps and perverts are always hidden in plain sight ... if you want to use this toilet, just don't go alone," a user warned.

Responding to queries by AsiaOne, a Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre spokesperson confirmed that there is a temporarily designated gender-neutral toilet on Level 3 of the Convention Centre.  

The toilet has been "temporarily designated as a gender-neutral toilet" at the request of the organisers of Wikimania 2023 for the duration of the event which runs from Aug 16 to 19. 

The gender-neutral toilets were in a converted female toilet with 11 cubicles, Today Online reported.

According to the Wikimania website, it is an annual conference celebrating free knowledge projects such as Wikipedia and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, with this year's theme being 'Diversity. Collaboration. Future.'. 

As part of efforts to ensure inclusivity and comfort for attendees, Wikimania provides gender-neutral toilet to accommodate all gender identities, a quiet room for overwhelmed attendees, and scent-free rooms in consideration of individuals with sensitivities or allergies to scents.

Other gender-neutral toilets in Singapore have been reportedly spotted in Yale-NUS college and Tembusu College, a residential college in NUS.

ALSO READ: They/them? Here's how gender-neutral pronouns work

lim.kewei@asiaone.com