SPECIAL TOILETS FOR TRANSEXUALS IN CHENNAI

By P. Vijian

CHENNAI, April 12 (Bernama) -- South Indian authorities are preparing to
build separate public toilets for the transgender community, a first of its
kind in the populace country.

Mayor of Chennai M. Subramaniam has directed town planners to study
the exact number of transexuals in the city and the number of toilets needed
to cater for this group.

"(Currently) They can neither go to the men's toilet nor the women's, it is
a problem. We are planning to build separate toilets and bathrooms for them, in
areas where there are many families.

"We are currently surveying two to three places like Saidapetai, where there
more than 100 families, and also Annanagar," he told Bernama.

The mayor announced this special project in Chennai last month but had to
puton hold until India's national elections are over in May.

Tamil Nadu, with nearly 30,000 transexuals, is the only Indian state to have
recognised gender status of transexuals, giving them their right to vote,
ration card (to buy essential food items), access to medical care and housing
-- all of which had been deprived in the past for the much ostracised community.

Some 200km away from Chennai, in far-flung Cuddalore district, town planners
have gone a step forward -- to create a model village for the transexual
community -- to provide housing for the homeless third gender people.

"Many suffer, they live a nomadic live moving from one place to another to
attend festivals. Some are well off but many do not have houses or decent jobs.

"This is a sort of programme to help them live like a normal society. We
will give them free land to build their own houses," Cuddalore Revenue
Divisional Officer R. Brindadevi told Bernama.

Known as 'Aravani' in the south and 'Hijras' in the north, there are nearly
500,000 transexuals in India.

Many eke out a living by performing musical dances during festivals.

-- BERNAMA