ASSAM: TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST RUES ABSENCE OF SEPARATE TOILETS FOR COMMUNITY

17 July 2018:

“Whether big or small, problems do matter”.

Transgenders come from all walks of life. If their visibility in the society is increasing, the degree of their discrimination, stigma and systemic inequality is also on the rise. The inequality pertains to legal protection, violence against them, identity crisis and many more. Also, another problem the transgenders are faced with is the issue of relieving themselves – they feel they need separate toilets.

Speaking to INSIDENE, transgender activist, Swati Bidhan Baruah, said: “In 2015, the Centre had passed a notification to the various states and Union Territories for establishment of separate toilets for the transgenders in public. States like Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and West Bengal have implemented this but the Assam government is still silent”.

Asked if they took up the issue with the authorities in the state, Swati replied, “We discussed it several times with senior officials related to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan but till now they have not done anything”.

Sadly, the state government invested crores of rupees for the development of the society and recently, new toilets were built near the Bharalumukh Park in Guwahati but they are limited to men and women, she lamented.

She alleged that the issue was also raised before Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania but he ignored it.

On the ongoing updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) where the transgenders apprehend exclusion of their names from the document due to lack of documents to prove citizenship, she said they would soon move the Supreme Court to file a petition so that the issue could be addressed. They will also raise the issue of separate toilets for the community along with other problems.