Fuziah: Suggestion on transgender toilet use not meant to belittle OKU community

Fuziah Salleh. -Bernama filepic

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The suggestion that transgender persons use toilets meant for people with disabilites (OKU) was not intended to upset the feelings of the community, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Fuziah Salleh.

She said it was a merely a solution to resolve the issue of the welfare of transgender persons who might not feel safe or comfortable using men's or women's toilets.

“(I am) sad that this issue has been blown out of proportion. I was only giving a suggestion because toilets for OKU are not shared with other men or women," she said.

Fuziah added that it was a possible solution.

“Right now, where do they go if they cannot use the men's or women's toilets,” she said after appearing as a guest on the 'Diskusi Seputar Isu” programme titled  'LGBT: Between Punishment and Guidance” on Bernama Radio here on Wednesday (Aug 15).

Fuziah said she would be meeting with representatives of the OKU community on Thursday (Aug 16) to discuss the issue, adding she was committed to helping them too.

Last Monday (Aug 13), Fuziah suggested the temporary measure as the best solution to the issue after taking into consideration the feelings voiced by some women who felt unsafe with transgender persons using women's toilets.

However, the suggestion was met with strong reaction from various parties.

Television personality and founder and chairman of non-governmental organisation OKU Sentral, Ras Adiba Radzi, was among those who protested against the suggestion and questioned why they should share their toilets with the able-bodied.

Meanwhile, in the one-hour live programme, Fuziah said the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issue must be tackled in a holistic manner with a commitment from everyone.

She said society had an important role to play in creating a positive environment for the transgender community by understanding and accepting their situation without sidelining or discriminating against them.

“I am afraid that when people show that they are better than the LGBT group, they may actually be committing a sin by driving them away from Islam,” she said. - Bernama