A Cambridge college has been accused of ignoring guidance on single-sex spaces after replacing traditional lavatory signs with the gender-neutral labels “cubicles” and “cubicles/urinals”.
King’s College’s relabelling followed recommendations from a campus LGBT+ group.
Critics say the move directly contradicts EHRC rules requiring organisations to grant access to single-sex facilities based on biological sex rather than gender identity.
That guidance was issued following last year’s Supreme Court ruling, which determined that transgender women do not legally qualify as women under equalities legislation.
The signs are located near the main college bar, according to those who raised the complaint.
An alumna of the college, who wished to remain anonymous, said the new signage was deterring women from using the lavatories, with many instead queuing for disabled facilities.
She accused King’s College of “caving in to activists” and fostering a “hostile environment for people who believe in biological sex”.
“I think it’s absolutely shocking that a university like Cambridge has decided to cave in to trans activists. That’s shocking and it’s cowardly,” she said.
A Cambridge college faces accusations of ignoring guidance on single-sex spaces
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She pointed to the harassment faced by three students who founded the Cambridge Society for Women, arguing that the university was failing those who hold gender-critical beliefs.
She added: “Caving in to activists, I don’t think that sends a very good message to the student body.
“They’re living, particularly in an Oxbridge College, in a particular kind of a bubble. And you need to learn to tolerate other people’s beliefs and also to understand that the law is the law.”
Helen Joyce, director of the women’s rights charity Sex Matters, described the lavatory arrangement as “the worst of both worlds” for both sexes.
King’s College replaced traditional lavatory signs with the gender-neutral labels ‘cubicles’ and ‘cubicles/urinals’
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“Converting the toilets at King’s College Cambridge from male and female into toilets with and without urinals would be unlikely to survive a challenge by a female staff member or student, since facilities that include urinals are unsuitable for women whereas both facilities are suitable for men,” she told The Telegraph.
Ms Joyce argued that the setup risked embarrassing men by exposing them at urinals while leaving women facing longer queues with no privacy from male users.
She added that swapping recognisable male and female symbols for vague descriptions created confusion for foreign visitors, elderly people and those with disabilities, calling it “hardly inclusive”.
“Nor is it inclusive to organise toilet provision in a way that disadvantages the female half of humanity,” she said.
GB NEWS
The controversy unfolded against a backdrop of broader political debate over transgender access to single-sex facilities.
Sir Ed Davey used the Liberal Democrat conference to confirm his support for scrapping the ban on trans women entering female lavatories.
An emergency motion selected by party members in a ballot described the EHRC code as “discriminatory and unworkable” and called for it to be replaced with more “inclusive” rules.
The CUSU LGBT+ guide, which dates back to 2018, recommended the precise wording now displayed on King’s lavatory doors and noted that the college had already converted some facilities to gender-neutral use.
The guide estimated that between 100 and 150 transgender individuals could be studying at the university, based on national averages.
A King’s College Cambridge spokesman told GB News: “King’s College aims to be a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for visitors and members of the College community.
“There are toilet facilities available for single sex and gender-neutral use in multiple locations around the College. Toilets and washing facilities are provided to support our core mission of delivering education to our students.
“The signage on the toilets referenced has been in use for several years; these toilets are one part of our wider provision. The College provides a number of different types of facilities for both our students and guests to the College.”