[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - For most, it's a choice of the men's room or the women's. A Brazilian city is trying to give an option to those who don't fit easily into either category.[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]A bill passed by the Nova Iguacu city council on Tuesday would require night clubs, shopping malls, movie theaters and large restaurants to provide a third type of bathroom for transvestites. Mayor Lindberg Farias will decide whether to make it a law.[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]"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. "It's a way to put an end to prejudice."[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]Moreira, a 32-year-old policeman on leave from the force, said he got the idea when dozens of transvestites showed up for a local samba show.[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]"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," said Moreira, who is married and the father of two children. "I'm not doing this for my own benefit."[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]He said the "alternative bathrooms" could also be used by men or women who didn't mind sharing space with transvestites.
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[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051214/D8EG64PO9.html
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[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]A bill passed by the Nova Iguacu city council on Tuesday would require night clubs, shopping malls, movie theaters and large restaurants to provide a third type of bathroom for transvestites. Mayor Lindberg Farias will decide whether to make it a law.[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]"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. "It's a way to put an end to prejudice."[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]Moreira, a 32-year-old policeman on leave from the force, said he got the idea when dozens of transvestites showed up for a local samba show.[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]"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," said Moreira, who is married and the father of two children. "I'm not doing this for my own benefit."[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]He said the "alternative bathrooms" could also be used by men or women who didn't mind sharing space with transvestites.
[/font]
[font=Verdana,Sans-serif]http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051214/D8EG64PO9.html
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