Public Bathrooms toilet seats down please

Luc (my husband) and I are in the Eastern Township of Quebec for a few days away alone. Part of our on-going goal to take at least 2 -3 nights every season to get out of the daily grind alone together to recharge, discover new places, new things and just relax. It is truly life changing when you purposefully plan these get-aways. First of all you know they are coming so you have something to look forward to. It provides clarity for the upcoming weeks before it on how to spend our money because we know we need some for our little get-away and if there are things to discuss or to decide that are long term discussions, we can do it during this time. I look at it as a couple retreat! It does us some good on a personal level and of course for our relationship.

So here we are enjoying our quiet time, walking around cafes and Boutiques just having a nice relaxed Sunday afternoon. We stopped into a cute place for brunch and ordered our food. I slipped away from the table to go use the bathroom. I walk to the back where it said:  “Toilettes”. I noticed that there were two bathrooms and both had the original female – male signs indicating you could use whichever one that was free. Side note – I LOVE that we finally have moved towards gender neutral bathrooms in Public places.  Before it was even a thing, I am THAT person who would occasionally use the “other” bathroom if it was available when my designated one had a line-up of over 10 people (think airports, Theatres…) I never quite understood how some of us would have to wait in line for so long often really needing to “go” to the bathroom while the other bathroom was practically empty.

Fast forward to today – things have changed. I’m happy they have and wish it would have been for the above reasons and then it would not have been such a big deal to keep up with the times as people’s Gender preference is more at the forefront of decisions then they have been over the years. If the bathroom situation would have been dealt with properly years ago, this could have been one less hurdle to conquer for gender neutral activists. Anyway… on to my point of all this.

Since we have made huge improvements in the matter of making Public Restrooms available for any gender to use interchangeably, there is now one huge hurdle to overcome. I say, let’s deal with it right now – while we are creating change in where and how we can access the Public Bathrooms, can we please set up the Bathroom etiquette of the toilet seat?

Should the toilet seat be kept up OR down? Who’s responsibility is it to ensure nobody falls into the toilet as they squat down to do their business? I believe the person who is backing into the position should feel safe and secure knowing there is a seat there to sit on.

The person who pees standing up has the advantage of seeing the toilet and the seat so they should be the ones to put the seat down. Actually, it only makes sense that as they WIPE any extra spills, splashes or missed targets, they put the toilet seat down for the next person who may be sitting down or standing. In either case, THAT person standing has the advantage of seeing and be able to adjust their needs accordingly. (Need the seat up or down?).

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that we need to have an overarching Cardinal RULE that anyone using any Public Bathroom leaves it with the toilet seat down.

When I entered the bathroom, I really had to go so I walked over to the toilet,  pulled my jeans and undies down and started to squat down towards the seat AND at the last minute remembered the sign that showed this bathroom was for everybody – at the VERY last minute just before I – you know – relieved my self… I stood back up quickly – thankful for all my yoga practice that work my quads and allow me to be able to get out of the squat quickly and safely… to realize THE SEAT was up. I almost fell in the toilet in a Public Bathroom!

This is the exact moment I decided: “We need a universal agreement” that toilet seats will be kept down for everyone using Public Bathrooms. Imagine if I would have been a very pregnant woman really needing to pee and not able to really look back behind me? Or an elderly person who doesn’t quite have the mobility to stretch their necks enough to see if the seat is up or down? It is almost like when you go to sit down and someone pulls the chair away from you. Nobody needs to feel like that especially not when they are about to GO.

So, I’ve made it my mission to spread the word, asking you to do your part to please make sure to put down the toilet seats when you go to Public Bathrooms and make sure everyone in your family, friend groups and at work do the same. If everyone makes an effort, this will be one less challenge to conquer so we can focus on bigger more important issues.

Let’s work together – let’s unite on this one. “Put the toilet SEAT DOWN! “