The age of the kathoey toilet has arrived. A temple in Rayong has built a toilet specifically for women of the second gender, as they are also known (men who want to change their sex).
Abbot Phrakru Wisut Sansophid, who thought of the idea himself, says kathoey who had visited the temple were given a hard time if they tried to use the men's toilets.
In this age of equal rights, he decided he would create a sit-down toilet especially for them, which they can reach from the women's toilet room.
The toilet has proved popular with kathoey, and a source of amusement for straight visitors.
A sign outside in the temple grounds - where visitors come to worship a shrine of the revered King Taksin - displays a symbol of a person in a wheelchair, for disabled toilets; a figure in trousers, for the men's toilets; a figure wearing a dress, for the women's toilets; and a figure wearing a dress on one side, and trousers on the other, representing a kathoey.
Head inside the toilets, and another sign makes it explicit: 'Kathoey toilet', it says.
The toilets, for the disabled, men, women, and kathoey, are made of granite and cost B900,000. They were built last year and opened three months ago.
Khao Sod newspaper, which published a story about the kathoey toilet, spoke to cleaner Saengarun Suksai, who said the toilet had been a hit since it opened.
Visitors laughed when they saw the sign.
Straight women did not dare use the kathoey toilet, in case people thought they were kathoey. As for kathoey themselves, they let off screams and squeals of delight, and rushed to try it.
A kathoey patron said she was delighted with the toilet find. She did not feel comfortable using the men's toilets, and women gave her strange stares when she tried to use theirs. Having her own toilet was just great.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are welcome, in English or Thai (I can't read anything else). Anonymous posting is discouraged, unless you'd like to give yourself a name at the bottom of your post, so we can tell who you are.