The Sydney Opera House has apologised over an incident at a concert over the weekend.

Ben was contacted by a listener on Monday, reporting that the Opera House titled the toilets the ‘All Gender Bathrooms’.

The listener said men and women were sharing the facility and it was making some patrons uncomfortable.

The listener told Ben on Monday. 

“Inside the bathroom, you had men doing their business, with women walking past to use the cubicles.

“There were elderly women who expressed their shock.

“I’ve never seen anything like it and have made a complaint.”

In a statement the Opera House says:

“We covered the urinals in the all-gender bathroom so they were not able to be used, however a patron removed the urinal covers.

“We apologise if any patrons felt uncomfortable, and we reinstalled the covers with better weighting to prevent them being removed in future.”

Press PLAY below to hear Ben’s full comments 

FULL APOLOGY STATEMENT

The Opera House offers all-gender bathrooms, alongside male and female bathrooms, during its festival events, including for Vivid LIVE. It is vital that the Opera House building – and the experiences offered – are welcoming, inclusive and accessible to all.

During Vivid LIVE, the Box Office Foyer included separate female, all-gender and male bathrooms. The Opera House covered the urinals in the all-gender bathroom so they were not able to be used, however during Friday night’s performance a patron removed the urinal covers. We apologise if any patrons felt uncomfortable with this situation, and we reinstalled the covers with better weighting to prevent them being removed in future.

The Opera House welcomes all feedback and values input from its audiences and visitors about the introduction of all-gender bathrooms at major events to ensure that everyone has a comfortable and enjoyable experience when attending the Opera House.