Law requires bathrooms for transvestites

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - For most people, it's an easy choice: men's room or women's. A Brazilian city is trying to create an alternative for those who don't fit easily into either category.

A bill passed by the Nova Iguacu city council Tuesday would require night clubs, shopping malls, movie theaters and large restaurants to provide a third type of bathroom for transvestites. The city's mayor will decide whether to make it a law.

"A lot of lawmakers didn't want to deal with this issue, but it's a serious problem in society," said city Councilman Carlos Eduardo Moreira, who sponsored the bill. "It's a way to put an end to prejudice."

Moreira said he got the idea when dozens of transvestites showed up recently for a samba show.

"It was a real problem. The women didn't feel comfortable having them in the ladies' room, and the men didn't want them in their bathroom either," he said.

Moreira said there are nearly 28,000 transvestites in Nova Iguacu, a city of about 800,000 on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.

The issue has divided gay groups. Some feared it could segregate gays, while others said it addressed a real problem in the gay community.

"We see it as a way to open a discussion about civil rights," said Eugenio Ibiapino dos Santos, a founder of the Pink Triangle Association, a gay group in Nova Iguacu.

Business owners were less open to the idea.
"Raising awareness about transsexuals is, in truth, a factor that needs to be addressed," said

Aluzio Borges Ferreira, executive director of the Nova Iguacu Chamber of Shop Owners. But he said the law would burden already overtaxed businesses.

Brazil is generally more tolerant of homosexuality than other Latin American countries, but discrimination still exists.