A father went viral on TikTok after calling out the Toronto Zoo for not having a diaper changing station in the men’s restroom.
Mike Polsinelli (@mike.polsinelli) posted the video, where he showed viewers the discrepancy between the Zoo’s men’s and women’s restrooms. While the women’s restroom has a sign on the exterior indicating that there was a diaper changing area inside, the men’s bathroom had nothing of the sort.
@mike.polsinelli Whos been there? #equality #equity #accessibility #humanrights #dad #dadlife #moderndad #singledad #dadsoftiktok #toronto #yyz #torontozoo #torontolife #torontotiktok #fyp ♬ original sound – Mike Polsinelli
“As a single dad, this is my number one pet peeve. What message is this sending our littles?” Polsinelli wrote via the text overlay.
He doubled-down on his frustration in the video’s comment section. “It’s not solely a woman’s ‘job’ to care for a child,” Polsinelli wrote. “So many men want to (and should!) be involved.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Polsinelli via TikTok comment and to the Toronto Zoo by email. As of Wednesday afternoon, his video had over 737,000 views, with many commenters similarly miffed.
“it is too common,” one viewer wrote. “men bathroom need change table too.”
“If I’m with my baby, I’m walking in,” another said. “I need a table to change. My baby comes first.”
A few others, meanwhile, shared how they’ve handled similar situations.
“My dad used to yell ‘i need to change my daughters pampers and coming in,’” one person shared.
“yeah, when I’m with my godson I usually will just knock on the door inside… and I’ve never had an issue with it,” another said.
In 2016, Congress passed the Bathroom Accessible in Every Situation Act (BABIES Act). It required baby changing tables—or other accommodations—in all publicly accessible federal buildings regardless of gender. And while more men’s restrooms in the United States are being equipped with diaper changing stations—it is still far from the norm.
