RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Dec. 14) - For most, it's a choice of the men's room or the women's. A Brazilian city is trying to give an option to those who don't fit easily into either category.
A bill passed by the Nova Iguacu city council on Tuesday would require night clubs, shopping malls, movie theaters and large restaurants to provide a third type of bathroom for transvestites. Mayor Lindberg Farias will decide whether to make it a law.
"A lot of lawmakers didn't want to deal with this issue, but it's a serious problem in society," said city Councilman Carlos Eduardo Moreira. "It's a way to put an end to prejudice."
Moreira, a 32-year-old policeman on leave from the force, said he got the idea when dozens of transvestites showed up for a local samba show.
"It was a real problem. The women didn't feel comfortable having them in the ladies' room, and the men didn't want them in their bathroom either," said Moreira, who is married and the father of two children. "I'm not doing this for my own benefit."
He said the "alternative bathrooms" could also be used by men or women who didn't mind sharing space with transvestites.
Moreira said there are nearly 28,000 transvestites in Nova Iguacu, a poor city of about 800,000 on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Moreira said many transvestites are reluctant to go out because there's no bathroom for them. And he denied that the cost of building a third bathroom would be a big problem for restaurant or club owners.
"It requires an initial investment, but after that, the establishment will end up making more money because it will have a larger public. And transvestites like to spend," he said.
The issue has divided gay groups; some feared it could segregate gays, while others said it recognized a problem within the gay community.
"At first we were against the law, but after some discussion we decided we had to support it because it addresses a real problem for a segment of the gay community," said Eugenio Ibiapino dos Santos, a founder of the Pink Triangle Association, a gay group in Nova Iguacu. "We see it as a way to open a discussion about civil rights."
Brazil is generally more tolerant of homosexuality than other Latin American countries, but discrimination still exists.
A study conducted by the Candido Mendes University in Rio de Janeiro found that 60 percent of Rio's homosexuals had met some type of harassment, and 17 percent said they had experienced physical violence.
Would appear maybe the terminology above is incorrect, perhaps they did mean transsexual/gendered, not transvestite. Wow, 17% have experienced physical volence... :(
DennisInGA
It strikes me that this is about a restroom for others considering the comment that it divided the gay community or am I misreading this.
Shelley
Shelley,
One of us must be ;D
"would require night clubs, shopping malls, movie theaters and large restaurants to provide a third type of bathroom for transvestites"
DennisInGA
True enough Melissa. Maybe General Discussions might have been a better heading, though I guess any locale specific laws could be said to have little to no impact unless you are in that area.
DennisInGA
Interesting idea. I suspect they did mean transvestites (or drag queens) rather than transsexuals, though. I know it used to irk the hell out of me to share a bathroom with drag queens because many of them had complete and utter disdain for women and would invade the women's room, taking over the sinks and mirrors. And, to add insult to injury, they used to pee standing up, on the seats.
This was not, to be clear, cd's, mtf's, or anyone who actually identified as female while dressing, this was gay men, dressing in drag for fun.
Anyway, if there were a gender neutral bathroom specifically for the use of drag queens, I'd say have at 'er girls, and make my way to the men's room.
Dennis
Interesting Denns and maybe you're right, they did truly mean transvestites. Though I would doubt patrons not used to transvestites or transgendered people would think about there being a difference really - it would simply be someone they didn't want to share the facilities with.
Though I could be mssing it altogether here... ::)
Dennis2
QuoteThis was not, to be clear, cd's, mtf's, or anyone who actually identified as female while dressing, this was gay men, dressing in drag for fun.
It's alright Dennis we've had that discussion before. :)
Shelley