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India's first transgender television host, Rose Venkatesan, seen here in 2007. Pre and post-operative transsexuals in the southern Indian city of Chennai are to get their own public toilets in an effort to boost recognition of the community, a report said Monday.
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Pre and post-operative transsexuals in the southern Indian city of Chennai are to get their own public toilets in an effort to boost recognition of the community, a report said yesterday.
Three toilets are to be built to cater for the sizeable transgender population as part of a pilot project that will begin after the upcoming general elections, the English-language Indian Express newspaper said.
Municipal commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni was quoted as saying that the scheme was aimed at "extending recognition to the community and mainstreaming them" and more facilities could be built if the public responded well to the idea.
But it has drawn a mixed response from the transgender community itself.
"I don't agree with this. We want to mingle with the mainstream. We don't want to be separated like this," said Aasha Bharati, president of the Aravanigal Association in Tamil Nadu state.
"Using separate toilets will open the way for discrimination. We want to be considered as females. In our hearts, we are women."
India's first transgender television host, Rose Venkatesan, was more positive. She said: "It is a big problem, because not everyone has undergone a sex change.
"This is a good idea but in the long run, I see a society where there is no difference and all use the same toilets."
There are about 30,000 transgendered people in Tamil Nadu state and there are thought to be about 500,000 across India.
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(Agencies)
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昨日有報道稱，印度南部城市欽奈計劃為將要和已經變性的人群修建專用公廁，以提高對這一群體的認可度。
據印度英文報《印度快報》報道，該計劃是即將開始的印度全國大選后啟動的一個試點項目之一，屆時將為該市數量可觀的變性人群建造三個專用公廁。
該報援引欽奈市政委員Rajesh Lakhoni的話說，該計劃旨在“擴大對該群體的認可并使他們融入主流社會”，如果公眾對此反應良好，今后還會建造更多此類設施。
但來自變性人群體自身的反應則褒貶不一。
泰米爾納德邦變性人協會主席Aasha Bharati說：“我不贊成這一計劃。我們想與主流人群融合，不希望被這樣分離開來。”
“使用獨立的廁所將會為歧視提供條件。我們希望被看作女性。在我們自己看來，我們就是女人。”
印度首位變性電視主持人Rose Venkatesan的看法則更為積極。她說：“這是個重大的問題，因為并不是每個人都是變性人。”
“這個想法很好，但從長遠來看，我希望我們的社會將消除差別，我們能與主流人群使用同樣的廁所。”
泰米爾納德邦共有約3萬變性人，印度全國共有約50萬人。
相關閱讀：
“變性人”懷孕惹爭議
（英語點津姍姍編輯）
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