New Delhi: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has issued guidelines to the Swachh Bharat Gramin Mission and all the states affirming that the transsexual community should be allowed to use the public toilets of the gender of their choice.

The circular from the Ministry talks of the scope for the third gender group to even volunteer to Swachhta drive and to recruit transgender people to help promote sanitation around the country. “Wherever suitable, their support can be enlisted in engaging communities, and their efforts duly recognised and honoured to break any stigma around them and also to enable them to use facilities without any embarrassment,” the circular said.

It may be recalled that in 2014, the Apex Court accorded ‘third gender’ status to the transgender and an individual rights to determine the gender he/she identifies with. The verdict also has directives for separate toilets for transgenders in public places including hospitals.

Following this, the Royal City of Mysuru has the fame of being the only city in India to have a single ‘Third Gender’ public toilet since two years now. According to the 2011 census, there are 4,88,000 transgender people in India. The third gender’s usage of public toilets is surely a great step towards breaking the stigma attacked to the transgenders.