Americans have made public restrooms an issue based on who can use which gender's bathroom.
Target, for example, faced a backlash when it added gender-free bathrooms to its stores. That seemed like an elegant solution for people who felt uncomfortable in either the men's or women's rooms. Doing that, however, touched off a wave of right-wing activists calling the retailer "woke."
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On cruise ships, bathroom controversies tend to be less political.
One ongoing problem is that many restaurants and bars on board do not have a bathroom nearby.
In addition, many people complain that their fellow passengers are perhaps not the tidiest. That's something the cruise lines do their best to stay ahead of.
Now, however, a Carnival Cruise Line passenger has written a letter to Brand Ambassador John Heald, charging the cruise line with a form of bathroom-related discrimination.
Image source: Dan Kline/Come Cruise With Me
Carnival Cruise Line pushes back on bathroom issue
In addition to the bathroom that's part of every cabin, cruise ships have public bathrooms on every floor that has public amenities. Some are smaller 1-to-3 person bathrooms while others can accommodate many more.
One passenger suggested to Heald that the facilities simply are not adequate.
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"I am on the Spirit. Why don't they have a fluffy person’s public bathroom?" he wrote. "They are too small for me. I am 400 pounds and 6 feet 2 inches in height. I can’t get through the door.
"I know you can relate John to this problem. The US government has extended weight-based antidiscrimination protections to millions of Americans. Doesn’t Carnival have to follow those rules?"
"Fluffy" is a sort of nicer way of someone saying that they are overweight. It was popularized by comedian Gabriel Iglesias, who has a stand-up special titled "I'm not fat...I'm fluffy."
Heald was sympathetic but mostly made light of the question.
"Thank you and I really do hope you are having a great time. I agree, the public bathrooms were invented for small to average people on the older ships which is why if I am on one of those ships I use my cabin bathroom if I can," he answered.
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He also followed up with a joke.
"Anyway, please feel free to ask me any toilet questions and where to go for a wee wee. At my age I can do this in my sleep," he posted. "And that, Ladies and gents, concludes our tour of the ship’s toilets."
Carnival passengers have a go at it
Many of Heald's followers pointed out that Carnival ships have one-person, non-gendered handicapped bathrooms.
"There are handicapped bathrooms that are one person only. All you have to do is look on the map in the app to find them," Rita Gross noted.
Not every passenger was all that understanding.
"Come on I’m 310lbs and I’m not fluffy, I’m obese and working on it," added Dennis W. Craig. "No public facility should be expected to be redesigned to accommodate 400lb + people. John Heald may be overweight but he is nowhere near that weight."
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Some simply dismissed the concerns of the original poster.
"How rude. I am 5’ 11” and at my peak about ten years ago I weighed 342 pounds," wrote Allen Jones. "I was cruising three or four times every year and on my 42 cruises never had any issues with any of the bathrooms.
"I have lost 111 pounds since then. If I had the difficulties that the OP claims to have, I would have blamed myself for not having any willpower, rather than blaming the cruise line. I have met John many times and he has never come close to weighing 300 pounds."
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