On July 10, a young woman was expelled from a festival. Her “crime”? Using a stand-up urinal in the men’s urinals. Social media quickly went into overdrive. Between incomprehension and outrage, the event revealed a much deeper problem: unequal access to a basic need . Because peeing, in 2025, is still a gender issue.
The facts, nothing but the facts
Julia, 27, explains that she used a stand-up urinating device to avoid the endless lines at the women's restrooms. This practice is becoming increasingly common at festivals, particularly among female hikers and independent travelers.
But a security guard stopped him. "No women allowed," he was reportedly told, before permanently banning him from the event. The festival, when contacted, acknowledged an error in judgment and offered a refund. But the damage was done.
Behind the incident, a structural inequality
This is not a simple misunderstanding. It is a symptom of a systemic problem.
At most festivals, there are not enough women's restrooms . Belgian studies have shown that, on average, a woman waits 6 minutes to urinate, compared to 11 seconds for a man thanks to urinals.
Why? Because the design of public spaces has long been designed by and for male bodies . And in 2025, the issue of gender-based planning remains largely neglected.
The taboo of female pee
The female body continues to be a source of public concern. For a woman, urinating standing up is a violation of the norm of the discreet, clean, invisible body.
While a man can urinate standing up behind a tree without causing offense, a woman using a stand-up urinal at a festival still causes embarrassment or rejection.
Urine becomes political as soon as it goes beyond the traditional framework. What the Musilac incident revealed is that peeing standing up is not yet perceived as a tool of freedom , but as an anomaly.
What place for alternatives?
Associations like “Fête le debout” have been campaigning for years to popularize the use of female urinary devices. Some festivals like We Love Green and Eurockéennes have even installed urinals for women.
But these initiatives remain marginal. The reasons: the lack of political will, the social outlook, and the lack of information .
And yet, the solution is there: rethinking space to allow everyone to satisfy a natural need with dignity and security .
The Musilac affair isn't just about toilets. It's about rights, equality, and public spaces.
It asks a simple question: who has the right to urinate freely, quickly, without judgment?
If urinating standing up isn't a privilege, then why is it still one in practice?
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