Not to be over-simplifying things, but I wonder how much hetero and homo sexuality inclinations play a part in this? The role of increased acceptance of gender-orientation cannot be irrelevant to this topic, I wouldn't think. Julie Krueger Grammar Girl fix that last sentence for me so I can leave for work.... ========Original Message======== Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: Keeping up with the Germans Date: 1/25/2007 12:03:23 P.M. Central Standard Time From: _ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) To: _lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent on: http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=128112007 is an article about one of the clubs at St. Andrews--they have a very complicated system of clubs (three male only, two female only) having access to the links--opening its locker room to women while a tournament is hosted. Not a particularly interesting tale until you get to comment #23, which I paste below: This is blatant sex discrimination. Why should the men be obliged to change elsewhere? There should be no discrimination - everyone should be allowed to use the locker rooms to change be they male or female. If someone does not like this or feels shy, etc. then why don't they make their own arrangements for changing elsewhere. Here in Germany many sports clubs have communal changing and it does not disturb anyone one little bit. The people are adult and are there to play their sport and not to ogle the bodies of others. It works fine here so why are we in the UK so prudish? Does anyone know of anywhere else in the world where changing rooms are unisex? David Ritchie, Portland, Oregon