Today, at work, a customer asked me to unlock the restroom for them. I honestly couldn't figure out which gender they were, but I didn't want to be rude and ask, so I took a chance. I unlocked the wrong one. FML
elizabethkalyn tells us more.
Couple of things. I couldn't have unlocked both, as the doors swing shut and relock as soon as you let them go. The customer was a natural born woman who looked and sounded a lot like a male. When they asked why I opened the men's, I just told them the women's was occupied. I have never made the mistake before and it was mortifying. She luckily was very cool about it:) also, both restrooms use the same key.
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Top comments
Peacelove0404 26
So what gender were they?
pntgirl95 14
I would have pretended I unlocked the wrong one without realizing it. Like "oh it's been a long day I wasn't even paying attention to which bathroom I was unlocking!"
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Comments (152)
Peacelove0404 26
So what gender were they?
ShakeDisPlace 10
Regardless of the gender I'm sure OP Pissed them off.
license2chill 5
Take a look at customer's throat and determine the gender? Unless it's a kid then nvm. Just putting my two cents on the table.
Kamon97 23
Well it's their fault for not looking like their gender
applebramble 22
OP is quite lucky she doesn't work in Thailand . Imagine having to identify the ladyboys...
interesting33 37
good point #9 - don't know why you were downvoted
xerbrus 14
Because 9s first statement was entirely obvious and when it comes to bathrooms what gender they identify with is entirely irrelevant
brandoneyez1 25
He/she maybe.. Unisex going through the change? Hey it's the new millennium people.. Sh!t just got real.
chriisteex 10
#50 You have a long way to go buddy...
RadikulRam 16
#49, a mans index finger is smaller than his wedding ring finger, and vice versa for women.
Mynamewontfi 40
#85 That's not always foolproof. The index finger on my right hand is smaller, but on my left hand they're pretty much the same length. Also know a lot of females who were born with a smaller indexfinger.
donutcallmethat 16
My husband and I have transgendered hands.
metalcrazed 21
Both males and females have adam's apples,look it up.
reneetlovesyou 30
Yes but typically it's more prominent in men.
pinkster2014 25
I can see it now... "Today, I walked into some place to use their restroom. However, I needed a key to get in. The lady that went to open the door for me opened the door to the girl's room. I'm a guy. FML" (or something like that xD)
brolin_burrito 9
#50, hello ignorance!
Gearden 8
I would have asked and said it was store policy.
WhatsOpTic 11
That would be very awkward FYL. But honestly they know how they dress and how they look so they really shouldn't get mad at people for confusing their genders. They're the ones who cause it by how they look. Not trying to judge and be a dick but people who dress look that way shouldn't get upset it was an honest mistake.
koalabear_55 11
#2 some ppl don't even realize the way they're dressing affects their "gender Identity"
NeatNit 33
They'll learn, the easy way or the hard way!
spidey_awesome 14
be like I was going to open both of the bathroom doors. and I really want to know the gender of this person
WhatsOpTic 11
#8: I think it should be obvious but I can be wrong sooo yeah
WhatsOpTic 11
I just think that they have had the situation before and wouldn't get upset over it
TheMathMajor 26
#8, you mean gender expression. Gender identity is a whole different thing.
Nurd4lyfe 7
Why didn't you just unlock both?
SarahSehhati 40
They probably were standing somewhere around the OP
buttcramp 21
but OP could have said "let me unlock both that way someone else won't have the same hassle. thanks for your patience."
Goldenchest 14
Maybe the restrooms were located far from each other
ElricMustang 23
It happens; just apologize. Honestly, they might've had to deal with it before. If anything F their life :/
TheMathMajor 26
I honestly don't see anything wrong with being androgynous :)
Jiplo 18
Agreed. And if you have to take a chance, I would say guess female. Typically, from my experiences, if there is any question what gender a male is, he is someone who doesn't care all that much about the way he looks. I'm only making an observation based on what I have personally encountered, so I am liable to be misled.
HotRose 18
I'm sure OP apologized. Honestly, the best way out of a situation like this is to joke. Laugh and say "I'm guessing you'd want to go into the girls one then." If it was a guy, they would laugh and shake their head no, and say "Yeah.". If it's a woman, they would be puzzled and say, "Uh, yeah." The woman would think your weird, but at least you didn't make her feel down on herself; the guy would think you're juvenile. This still may not work, and they may say nothing, especially if they are older. If all else failed I would unlock both, and walk away. Why should I feel awkward? Don't let yourself be a victim of social awkwardness, OP.
tigerisabelle 31
While that sucks, next time you could just either give them the key or usher them ahead to the door so they can point it out? I guess there isn't really a best way to do this. FYL
pntgirl95 14
I would have pretended I unlocked the wrong one without realizing it. Like "oh it's been a long day I wasn't even paying attention to which bathroom I was unlocking!"
NeatNit 33
I thought this too, but if OP didn't plan this beforehand it's not a trivial improvisation.
jellybeens_fml 16
Or pretend that you're unlocking both bathrooms
katilyn3 6
You should have given them the key and if it was the wrong key then just have been like "oh I grabbed the wrong one" haha
Mauskau 36
Sometimes they're locked for a reason, giving the customer the key may not be a good idea. :x
telli164 30
That's really awkward, but it's more their fault for not making it clear which gender they are
buttcramp 21
you should do some research in the LGBT community. I have a friend who is physically female but mentally male and hasn't started testosterone treatments yet so he is always referred to as "she" and he can't help that he has a feminine figure, but it causes a lot of self hatred and people who don't understand just make it worse.
meepmerp 20
Isn't that defines someone who is gay, physically born one sex but is mentally another?
dawnimus 21
No, gender identity and sexual orientation aren't necessarily linked at all.
TheDrifter 24
41, but that wouldn't matter here, as in most cases the law still regards physical sex as the determiner for public restroom facilities, not inner gender identity.
telli164 30
#41 That's nice. I had a friend in school who looked like a male. She was always referred to as a boy, told to line up in the boys line. She would simply correct them and say she was a girl. It's an honest mistake. Life goes on
mattrd_fml 31
#48 Which is why I never understood why us gay people are grouped in with the Ts...
ripleythebard 12
Or why us "Ts" are always grouped with you gays. Just because my sex and gender are different doesn't mean I like the same sex. >.>
mattyiscool123 26
Nope
meepmerp 20
Oops, my bad
daisiebud 18
#58 A lot of transgender people look like their gender, not their biological sex. Especially if they take hormones. So if someone who looks like a guy goes into the girls bathroom, he's gonna get yelled at, even if he has a ******. And for people whose biological sex is male but who identify as women, they risk getting beat up if they go into the guys bathroom. It happens. Really, which bathroom you're supposed to go into isn't based on your gender OR sex. It's based on which gender you look like. Which is why it's so important to have gender neutral bathrooms available.
kittykat1501 31
79 gender and sex are the same thing
Ben009 13
That's awesome, hope they took it well
laden_swallow09 35
I don't think you understand what "awesome" means.
toaster012 17
Maybe you should've unlocked both bathroom doors to make a quick save. Although, that mistake is very understandable.