Gender neutral toilets a “good approach” after incident at bowling alley

Transgender Victoria spokesperson Sally Goldner has urged venues to introduce gender neutral toilets after an incident at a bowling alley over the weekend.

A married lesbian couple went to Strike Bowling and used the female toilets, before security asked her to leave the entertainment venue after mistaking her for a male.

Ms Goldner told Neil Mitchell it would be a “good approach” to make gender neutral toilets available to all patrons.

“It gives people who are transgender or not transgender a place to be comfortable,” she said.

“We urge (venues) approaching us with this issue to try something out for a few months, gives some people an option and they come back to us and question why they were even worried in the first place.

“I think taking a slow and steady approach and giving a range of choices is a win-win solution.”

Strike Bowling later apologised for the unsavoury incident, blaming poor lighting. But Ms Goldner wasn’t happy with the excuse.

“I find (the excuse) of poor lighting an inaccurate one,” she said.

“It’s not really an apology that’s gone down well because it’s not very sincere.

“They haven’t handled it well at all – a bowling alley is a place that’s favoured by a whole range of people so they haven’t done themselves any favours.”

Click PLAY to hear the full interview on 3AW Mornings