THAI SCHOOL INTRODUCES TRANS TOILET

To cater to a growing number of transgender students, a school in north eastern Thailand has introduced transgender toilets on campus.

The Kampang secondary school has decided that a unisex toilet will ease tension between transgender and heterosexual students. The transgender toilet, designated by a human figure split into half man in blue and half female in red, has been in use since classes started last month.

The creation of the facility came about after a survey conducted at the school revealed that over 200 of the 2600 students identified themselves as transgender.

Transgender student Vichai Sangsakul expressed his happiness about the restroom, also adding: “It looks bad going to female restrooms. What would other people think?”

Sitiak Sumontha, the school director, claimed that the idea behind the toilet was to help transgender students go to the restroom in peace, as these students were often harassed in the men’s room and made to feel unwelcome in the female facilities.

“They don’t have problems with transvestites but going to the same private area, like a toilet, makes them uneasy,” says the director.

Thailand has been seen as a liberal country with regard to LGBT issues, and while the country does not support same-sex unions, the LGBT community is considered one of the world’s most accepted.