Deputy minister slammed over 'transgenders use OKU toilet' remark

Disabled rights activist Anthony Thanasayan has taken offence to a deputy minister's remark about transgender people using toilets for the disabled.

Thanasayan, who is president of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive), said Fuziah Salleh's remark was "careless and unacceptable."

"When I heard her remark, I was so angry. Who is she to tell other people to use OKU toilet?

"They (LGBT) people are not disabled people. That's also an insult to them when you ask them to use the OKU toilet," he told Malaysiakini today.

This was in response to the remark by Fuziah, who is the deputy de facto religious affairs minister, suggesting the transgender community could opt to use the toilets for the disabled as a short-term solution if they were uncomfortable in being made to use men's or women's restrooms.

Thanasayan said that disabled people cannot share toilets for the disabled with the able-bodied, as the former is weak and in need of assistance when nature calls.

He urged Fuziah, who is also Kuantan MP, to apologize over her remark and retract it - Mkini