'Man-spreading' debate spreads to Toronto

A movement against so-called "man-spreading" seems to be gaining popularity among public transit users, including those in Toronto. (@EverettToy/Twitter)

A debate about male behaviour on public transit is opening up, and some aren’t happy about the “sexist” nature of the campaign against “man-spreading.”

Earlier in the month, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority began its efforts to thwart the problematic practice with a series of posters instructing male patrons to keep their legs to themselves.

Man-spreading -- when men sit on the subway with their legs spread wide enough to encroach on neighbouring seat space -- has since been recognized on social media as a public transit issue in places like Toronto and London, where some riders have called for a ban on the seated stance.

But while most agree the splayed display is inconsiderate to other transit-takers, at least one group disagrees with men alone being the targets of the campaign.

The average man might spread his legs more than women do, but most don’t infringe upon adjacent seats, said Canadian Association of Equality spokesperson Geoff Stone.

“Excessively spreading your legs to a ridiculous amount and actually taking over more than one seat; that’s objectionable,” Stone told CTV NewsChannel. “I don’t support that whether you’re a woman or a man.”

But Stone said it’s human nature for a person’s body to fill the space available, and that coining the term “man-spreading” unfairly incriminates males as a whole.

“It’s a catchy term,” Stone said. “It’s got a nice ring to it, but I think it’s sexist.”

Others think the problem stems from a genderless lack of self-awareness.

“People, in general, are a little bit selfish and they just don’t understand that there might be somebody next to you that wants to sit down,” relationship expert Matt Titus said.

Though this new campaign is picking up steam, Titus said the problem has always existed in different forms. He recalled having seen many more extreme examples of inconsiderate subway behaviour by both sexes.

“I saw a woman once change her child on an extra seat in a subway car,” Titus said. “I saw a woman cut an onion up and make a sandwich. Man-spreading isn’t that bad, I promise.”

Stone’s group has launched a counter-petition to fight the ban on man-spreading in Toronto. The change.org plea, which has picked up more than 900 signatures, points plainly to the “biology” of the maneuver.

“There’s a reason why men feel more comfortable like that,” Stone said. “Because they have a pair of testicles between their legs, which women don’t have.”