The Great German Urinal Caper

Have those brilliant Germans finally discovered what women really, really want? They want gender neutral urinals in public restrooms. Is this the solution to the problem of long lines for female toilets?

Again, what would we do without the Daily Mail—reporting here:

City officials in Berlin are hoping to solve the problem of lengthy female toilet queues by introducing gender-neutral urinals. 

In a 99-page policy document titled 'The Toilet Concept for Berlin', the left-wing coalition governing the German capital committed itself to pissoirs - public urinals - for both men and women. 

The paper explains: 'In the future urinals which can be used by all genders should be offered.'

It was justified as an enterprise because it represented a 'continuation of the [toilet] concept and an opportunity for Berlin to show that it is innovative', according to a translation on the BBC. 

Think about it, a group of bureaucrats churned out a 99 page document designed to solve this pressing problem. The solution, which also strikes a blow against sexism, is to have urinals that can be used by both sexes. They can even be used by both genders.

Here's one design option:

And here's a testimony from a woman who used one, of a different design, in a German theatre:

Given our raised consciousness about gender, men and women can use these urinals at the same time. That would solve the problem of transgendered toilets, don’t you think?

And the new urinals will be more environmentally friendly. I am sure you find great relief in the thought that the new designs will compensate for the fact that women, as a rule, flush the toilet three times, thus wasting precious water resources.

Meanwhile Professor Mete Demiriz of Gelsenkirchen University said that because women often flush the loo three times during a visit, gender-neutral urinals could save water. 

He told the website jetzt that a design team of his is working on a pissoir with a cubicle and a door. 

It is also lower down and allows the woman to have her back against the wall.  

We are relieved that these great German engineers have advanced to the point where they can envision a cubicle with a door. All together—breathe a sign of relief.

It’s yet another instance of life imitating art. Here, from Marcel Duchamp, a sculpture entitled: Fountain.