State Theatre's Gender Tale: Unequal Bathrooms

0:00Sydney State Theater opened in 1929 as a grand spot called the Palace of Dreams, but its bathrooms tell a wild story about. Old school gender rules. Back then, real ladies supposedly didn't hit the toilet in public, so women got these tiny, sneaky powder rooms like the Butterfly and Pompador. Tucked away for quick dashes during dark shows, men, though, had the VIP treatment with huge smoking lounges. Picture the college room packed with prime minister photos for the big shots, or the pioneer room like a fake hunting cabin with guns and animal. Skins. Women's spots were way smaller, no urinals needed, just proof the space screamed inequality. Tour guides Stuart Green, whose work there almost 30 years, points out the art to men, sailing ships, women picking flowers, all carved in. Marble or fake stuff. Cedasage in from feminist walks calls the Butterfly room a rare slap in the face display of how the city basically told women to stay home.

1:00This wasn't just the theater, Sydney's history backs it up. Men got underground public spots from 1844, fancy with blackwood panels by the early 1900s. Women waited till around 1910 for their first, but skipped it, feeling unsafe, while workplaces often left them high and dry. Today, folks still tour the unchained spots twice daily when no shows on, stepping back to feel that 1929 vibe and how far we've come. On equality, that rap Sydney news today brought to you with AI.