In a recent hearing of a petition filed by Jasmine Kaur Chhabra in the High Court, enquiring about the construction of washrooms in public spaces for exclusive use by transgender people, a healthy update has come to light.
City officials claim the construction of over 100 bathrooms, built particularly for the trans people in the Capital city. Chhabra raised this issue realizing that the lack of these special washrooms exposes them to sexual assault and harassment.
Transgender people constitute almost 7-8% of the population and as her PIL argues they deserve their personal sanitary space without embarrassing themselves or making things awkward for people in the ‘male’ or ‘female’ bathrooms as well as violating their ‘Right to Privacy’.
The counsel for the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) asserted that 102 such toilets have already been erected and 194 more are in progress. The counsel assured the bench, headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, of their efficiency and expedition.
Going into the specificity, the counsel apprised the court of the establishment of 12 toilets in the area under their jurisdiction and the approval of the construction of 79 more.
The court acknowledged the city officials’ ‘substantial progress’ and suggested they provide standard medical facilities and separate public toilets for the third gender as a step towards holistically integrating them into society.
The addition of third-gender washrooms in public places has already started in cities like Mysore, Bhopal and Ludhiana. Taking this step in the National Capital Region would set an epitome for the entire country and make the trans people feel welcomed.
The inability to meet the projections affirmed by the officials regarding the construction of public toilets for transgender people would result in the court summoning them personally in the court to demand answers.
The High Court had previously ordered the government to separately design a transgender-friendly sanitation space wherever new social complexes are developed.
The High Court, accelerating the construction of third-gender-friendly washrooms, is a beacon of hope and acceptance for transgender people.
These spaces created for them in public places should also transcend into our minds and we must warmly embrace their existence into the conventional society. It's high time that we start viewing the definition of gender as a vibrant spectrum rather than a black-and-white binary concept.
This also raises questions like why trans men using men's washrooms and transwomen using women is looked upon as an alien and awkward idea!
Transgender people must have the freedom to use whichever restroom they find comfortable without any fear or embarrassment.
When will our minds break free from the manacles of discrimination?
When will we start normalising and accepting transgender people using the existing binary washrooms?
These are questions for us all to ponder about!
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