The parliamentary group of the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) has come out firmly against plans to introduce unisex toilets in schools, as criticism grows from pupils and parents who say the proposal raises concerns about privacy and safety.
The issue follows the presentation of a pilot project that would replace gender-based toilets with unisex facilities in new school buildings, launched by Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity Yuriko Backes of the Democratic Party (DP) and outlined earlier this week in a parliamentary committee meeting on LGBTIQ+ topics.
However, many young people interviewed on the street expressed scepticism. In conversation with RTL, several pupils said they felt the idea undermined personal privacy.
“I think everyone should be able to keep their intimacy”, one pupil said, adding that having separate toilets for girls and boys is not discriminatory. Another said that shared facilities would “feel strange” and warned that “there are people who would do weird things in toilets”.
“I think it’s really stupid”, another one young person said, stressing that privacy would be important and that washrooms should stay separated.
The Ministry of Education argues that the concept would, in fact, improve privacy. Speaking to RTL, senior civil servant Christian Ginter said the aim is to protect pupils from bullying and harassment by eliminating open, collective spaces such as urinal areas.
There will be individual and fully enclosed cubicles for all pupils, Ginter explained, guaranteeing full privacy and eliminating the possibility of others filming those inside. He also noted that the initiative was hoped to reduce vandalism in washrooms.
The ministry has also stressed that schools would retain the option of introducing gender signage if they choose to do so.
Despite these assurances, the proposal has sparked significant criticism on social media, with fears raised about an increased risk of harassment, particularly for girls. The national parents’ representation association says it has been confronted with many questions and concerns in recent days.
“Many parents are worried”, association president Alain Massen explained to RTL, noting that adolescence is already a sensitive period. “They fear their daughters might have to use toilets in the same space as boys, and that doesn’t sit well with a lot of families.”
The parents’ association said it could accept unisex toilets only if separate facilities for girls and boys continue to exist in parallel.
Politically, the CSV has taken a clear stance against the measure. In a social media post, the party said children and young people need clear rules and stable reference points, especially in intimate spaces. Interviewed by RTL, MP Ricardo Marques underlined that unisex toilets were not a demand made by petitioners whose concerns originally prompted the parliamentary discussion.
For now, questions remain about whether the project will remain limited to a pilot phase, which schools would be affected, and whether unisex toilets could eventually be rolled out more widely.
