Thai school offers transsexual toilet

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by news.bbc.co.uk

Thai school offers transsexual toilet

...Kampang is proud of its toilets. Spotless, and surrounded by flowering tropical plants, they have won national awards for cleanliness.

But there is something else about them too. Between the girls' toilet and the boys', there is one signposted with a half-man, half-woman figure in blue and red.

This is the transsexual toilet, and outside, in front of the mirrors, some decidedly girly-looking teenage boys preen their hair and apply face cream.

The headteacher, Sitisak Sumontha, estimates that in any year between 10% and 20% of his boys consider themselves to be transgender - boys who would rather be girls.

"They used to be teased every time they used the boys' toilets," he said, "so they started using the girls' toilets instead. But that made the girls feel uncomfortable. It made these boys unhappy, and started to affect their work."

So the school offered to build the transgender boys their own facility, and they welcomed it.

Triwate Phamanee is a slightly built 13-year-old who is adamant that he will one day change his gender.

"We're not boys," he told me, "so we don't want to use the boys' toilet - we want them to know we are transsexuals."

Vichai Saengsakul, 15, agrees.

"People need to know that being a transsexual is not a joke," he says, "it's the way we want to live our lives. That's why we're grateful for what the school has done."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/7529227.stm

Would you be happy with this in your child's school?

[ahkiatt]

If you've been to Thailand, you'll realise that there are A LOT OF transgender guys, they are so common that they are socially accepted and are part of the Thai community. It's only a matter of time before this happened.

[Alcyon]

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/7529227.stm

Would you be happy with this in your child's school?

Would you not?

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by Alcyon

Would you not?

I don't have a child.

[*smb]

Sounds good to me.

[Alcyon]

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

I don't have a child.

Neither do I. That's not the question. Theoretically, if you did, how would you feel?

Are you just asking that to foster discussion? It seems like you're implying that it's somehow offensive to you.

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by Alcyon

Neither do I. That's not the question. Theoretically, if you did, how would you feel?

Are you just asking that to foster discussion? It seems like you're implying that it's somehow offensive to you.

Its not offensive to me at all. Although is does seem to me to be an odd way to combat the issue and there are much simpler solutions. However, I recognise that it is probably more of an issue in a school that has a large potential transgender population than it would be in other places.

[peterbright]

Great idea. Some cultures have 3 genders.

[Jazz Ad]

10 to 20 % makes more than enough to justify special attentions.
After all we make sure that toilets for the handicaped are available everywhere and they barely represent 1 % of the population.

[FL Knifemaker]

So.........do they stand up or sit down?? This is the greater question

[Alcyon]

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

Its not offensive to me at all. Although is does seem to me to be an odd way to combat the issue and there are much simpler solutions. However, I recognise that it is probably more of an issue in a school that has a large potential transgender population than it would be in other places.

Cool, that makes me feel better. I've got some gay/les/bi/and transgender friends and I am sometimes liable to be a little overly defensive.

PURELY out of curiosity and with no sarcasm involved (I'm serious), what would a simpler solution be?

[Bard2dbone]

Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker

So.........do they stand up or sit down?? This is the greater question

And the answer would be...probably.

[Darkstrike]

Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker

So.........do they stand up or sit down?? This is the greater question

Some do, others don't.

[Alcyon]

As far as I know, they sit down, like you do when you crap.

[René_Julien]

Originally Posted by Alcyon

Cool, that makes me feel better. I've got some gay/les/bi/and transgender friends and I am sometimes liable to be a little overly defensive.

PURELY out of curiosity and with no sarcasm involved (I'm serious), what would a simpler solution be?

Unisex bathrooms???

Although, in a school...

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by Alcyon

Cool, that makes me feel better. I've got some gay/les/bi/and transgender friends and I am sometimes liable to be a little overly defensive.

PURELY out of curiosity and with no sarcasm involved (I'm serious), what would a simpler solution be?

A series of "unisex" one stall bathrooms that can be used by any "gender". It doesn't sound like this school has a problem with bathroom cleanliness, so it would have been much simpler to introduce some bathrooms whereby either sex could use them on an individual basis. Much like disabled bathrooms.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by ahkiatt

If you've been to Thailand, you'll realise that there are A LOT OF transgender guys, they are so common that they are socially accepted and are part of the Thai community. It's only a matter of time before this happened.

This is very true. In certain cultures it's believed that the transgendered are an actual 3rd gender and are accepted as such. The extra bathroom is no biggie, just a reflection of the culture.

[mjolnir]

Cool.

[john turner]

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/7529227.stm

Would you be happy with this in your child's school?

why wouldn't i?

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by john turner

why wouldn't i?

If you wern't I'd hope you'd give the reasons. If I knew your reasons for not being happy with it, I wouldn't see the need for the question.