Hetero-sexist constructs are such a drag, especially those old-school gender binaries. What if you're neither fish nor fowl, but you ARE out in public, say at a nightclub? Which bathroom to use? For transsexuals, the issue has been gaining traction. What about transvestites? Same concern: An eye-catching six-foot-four sorta-gal with wide shoulders, huge hands, a short skirt and fishnet stockings isn't exactly going to be welcome in either of the usual public pissoirs is s/he? Luckily, the town of Nova Iguacu, a working class suburb of 800,000 near Rio de Janerio, may have a solution for its own, fairly sizeable transvestite population. Michael Astor of AP has more from Rio:

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."

...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.

..."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."

A discussion at the expense of business owners who would be forced to cater to the personal pecadillios of cross-dressers. I have a better idea. An enterprising gay or transvestite entrepreneur should start a transvestite friendly nightclub in Nova Iguaca with bathrooms open to all comers.

TECHNORATI TAGS: TRANSVESTITE BATHROOMS, BRAZIL, NOVA IGUACU

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at December 15, 2005 08:19 AM