India’s first toilet for transgenders in Mysore

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Bengaluru, November 19

Setting an example for the rest of the country, a toilet for transgenders was today inaugurated at the City Bus Stand at Mysore in Karnataka.

“Many a time transgenders have told us about the difficulties they face while they have to use toilets at public places. We have been discussing the issue in our meetings. Finally our plan can be given shape with the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation providing us the land,” said Pushpa B Amarnath, president of Mysore zilla panchayat.

Built with Rs1 lakh provided by the ZP, the toilet is a normal western type one with a door that can be closed from inside. Pushpa said the design was decided in consultation with transgenders.

“The total population of the transgenders in Mysore is about 3,000. Out of this about 150 use the bus stand daily. In view of the traffic only one toilet has been built for them. It is adjacent to the ladies toilet facility at the bus stop”, Pushpa said.

On the toilet door meant for transgenders “tritiya linga” (literally meaning “the third gender” in Kannada) is written. No image to denote the gender of the users has been put on the toilet door. Pushpa said the Mysore ZP would soon set up another toilet for transgenders at the Rural Bus Stand in the city.

Leader of the Mysore transgender community Pranathi Prakash inaugurated the toilet at the City Bus Stand today in the presence of Pushpa and other government officials and members of the transgender community.

Talking to The Tribune, Pranathi said transgenders faced problems in using either the male or the female toilets as both groups equally resent if a transgender use their lavatory.