Swedish party move to ban men from urinating while standing!

Male representatives on the Sormland County Council in Sweden should sit rather than stand while urinating in office restrooms, according to a motion advanced by the local Left Party.

Known as a socialist and feminist organization, the party claims that seated urination is more hygienic for men as the practice decreases the likelihood of puddles and other unwanted residue forming in the stall - in addition to being better for a man's health by more effectively emptying one's bladder.

The Local reports that as a compromise, the party has proposed that some toilets could, in the interim, be designated exclusively for men who must remain standing while peeing.

The Left Party's Viggo Hansen, who made the proposal, said that ultimately he wants office toilets in the council to be genderless and would thus like to see only "sit-down" toilets in county council offices.

He said that the move should not be seen as meddling in the bathroom habits of people. He told Sveriges Television (SVT): "That's not what we're doing. We want to give men the option of going into a clean toilet."

But not everyone agrees.

"Men scatter urine not so much during the actual urination as during the 'shaking off' that follows," John Gamel, a professor at the University of Louisville, wrote while addressing the issue in 2009. "As a result, forcing men to sit while emptying their bladders will serve little purpose, since no man wants to shake himself off while remaining seated on the toilet."

A representative from the party said he hopes to move toward sitting only bathrooms.