On 26th– 28th July Lush Birmingham are hosting a celebration for the Birmingham registered feminist group Love & Power’s campaign Bum Deal – to get baby change accessible to ALL parents, not just ignored or put in women’s toilets.
On Father’s – Sunday 16th June 2024- UK feminist organisation Love & Power launched a campaign to get baby changes accessible to ALL parents and caregivers, including dads, nicknamed ‘Bum Deal’. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are supporting to become the first ‘Fair Change’ venue, with 10 accessible bathrooms all caregivers can use in their stadium, with players Ben Davies and Michael Dawson making statements supporting the campaign.
Estimates in the UK are around 15% of public toilets have baby changes accessible to all caregivers. Unlike current legislation that requires toilets for adults in certain public spaces, and for all public bathrooms to provide items adults need – including toilet paper and soap – children were left out of UK legislation on toilets. A similar campaign in the US, supported by John Legend, resulted in President Obama signing the BABIES act mandating federal buildings to provide baby change, and New York City explicitly requiring baby change to be accessible to all caregivers.
Charlotte Fischer, Co-Director of Love & Power said, “my children have had their nappies changed on car bonnets, on grass by pavements, or in private dining tables in pubs – none of which are particularly safe or hygienic – when my partner hasn’t had a baby change accessible to him, and I’ve had to change more than my fair share of nappies when they’ve been available but only in women’s toilets. For me it’s a sexist annoyance, a reminder of whose job an organisation thinks childcare is, but for gay dads, widowed dads, single dads, or dads who just want to be able to take their kids out on their own, it’s a real barrier to public space and a reflection of the lack of public support caregiving of any kind gets. We can’t wait to meet Brummies who care about this issue too!”.
Lush Birmingham are hosting Love & Power for three days. Those interested can take some cake, buy charity pots of Lush product to support the campaign, and also get access to Black & Beech’s campaign merch of t-shirts, baby gros, hats and bags made specially for the campaign – and seen on celebrities like Georgina Hayden. Lush Birmingham store manager Charley said “Lush has been raising funds to support grassroots charities since 2007 and we’re thrilled to be hosting Love & Power this weekend!”
Raymond Martin, Director of the British Toilet Association (BTA) , said “Thirty two years ago my wife died in childbirth and I was a widowed father of a new born baby girl and a one year old daughter. Whenever we left home I used to have to wait outside the female toilets and ask strangers for the opportunity to enter their facilities to change the baby’s nappy. It was humiliating. Both personally and through the BTA I fully endorse this campaign – I’ve experienced and supported it for thirty years. Love & Power have created a wonderful campaign for children’s health, dignity and safety as well as striving to provide greater social inclusion. There can be no valid reason that children’s rights have been left out of bathroom legislation other than the engineers and planners weren’t thinking clearly about how families have to find decent clean toilets with the correct provision for their kids”.
Martha Jephcott, co-founder of Love & Power said “as a Brummie myself I’m so pleased to be in my hometown meeting those who care about the issue”.
Caitlin Moran, the famous Wolverhampton born feminist, tweeted about Love & Power in praise last year.
Black + Beech, a brand renowned for its feminist-informed, ethically made fashion, have made a line of ‘parenting not babysitting’ and ‘cleaning babies bums is not a job only for mums’ merchandise to support the campaign. Stacey Grant-Canham, the founder and CEO of the brand, stated: We’re so proud and honoured to be collaborating on this important campaign driving equality for all parents. I’m the mother of two sons and I want them to know in the words of bell hooks that “feminism is for everybody”