Middlesbrough to trial gender-neutral toilets

Gender-neutral toilets are to be trialled by Middlesbrough Council after a Conservative councillor petitioned the town's mayor.

Middlesbrough's independent mayor, Andy Preston, has agreed to a trial in council buildings following a meeting with Conservative councillor for Coulby Newham, Dave Smith.

The local authority is planning to roll out the changes in council buildings by making disabled toilets "open access" while maintaining gender-specific toilets.

Following his meeting with Cllr Smith on Tuesday, Mayor Andy Preston said:

Cllr Smith had called for Middlesbrough to become a gender-neutral town and asked the mayor to make a start by designating all council building toilets as gender-neutral.

Following Tueday's meeting, Cllr Smith said:

Cllr Smith's campaign has been backed by LGBT charity Hart Gables.

In a statement a spokesperson for the charity said:

It is within our training packages that we discuss the use of gender-neutral toilets, and encourage services to have toilets that are accessible to all."

Mayor Preston's trial mirrors the advice of Ellie Lowther, director of Trans Aware Training, who said the situation was complicated by the fact that while some trans people are binary - identifying as either male or female - others are non-binary, identifying as neither.