A Cathedral in Wales has installed gender-neutral toilets in order to be 'more accepting' and help LGBT people.
St Asaph Cathedral in north Wales is thought to be one of the first places of worship to introduce such facilities, as part of a £300,000 refurbishment, the Rhyl Journal reported.
A Church in Wales spokesperson for the diocese of St Asaph appeared to give several varying practical and political reasons for the move.
'There was only one small toilet. It was not adequate, we needed proper and adequate facilities. For large events such as concerts, we had to use portable loos and we had massive queues,' the spokesperson said.
'We have the space available and the reason we went down the gender neutral line was so we could maximise the space available and the number of cubicles. I guess traditionally you would perhaps say they were unisex but I think gender neutral in the right term. I don't think St Asaph are the first to do this, but I don't know.
'It is not about faith, it is about being more accepting and not putting up any boundaries or barriers. It is about being practical, very practical and being open to all. The toilets offer a lot of privacy, they are floor to ceiling.
The spokesperson added: 'It also helps lesbian gay bisexual transgender (LGBT) groups as well, people who are transitioning – there is no issue at all.'
The Dean of St Asaph Cathedral, Nigel Williams, said: 'The cathedral is delighted to be leading the way in inclusive, accessible facilities for all visitors to the cathedral.
'We've already had lots of positive feedback particularly from dads who can easily accompany their young daughters to the toilets, from older couples who act as carers for each other and from the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and allies) community who've held events recently.'
Tim Redgrave, the headteacher at local Ysgol Esgob Morgan school in St Asaph, said: 'My experience of working closely with the diocese is that the church welcomes, respects and celebrates the similarities and differences between us all. Children have a wonderful minds, open to seeing the differences in people and debating topics such as this gives them the opportunity to form their own opinions and discuss them sensibly without prejudice.'
