When does a man not deserve to be treated as a woman? This question weighed heavily on Italian politics yesterday as the speaker of the lower house of the Rome parliament prepared to rule on the sanitary arrangements for its most singular member.
Wladimiro Guadagno describes himself as "transgender," and while never having had a sex change operation, he dresses and behaves entirely as a woman. Since being elected to parliament in April, the actor-singer turned-politician has been using the ladies' washroom.
But last Friday, the sight of Guadagno adjusting his skirt and preparing to freshen his lipstick proved too much for one of Silvio Berlusconi's supporters, Elisabetta Gardini, who made a formal complaint to the Chamber of Deputies' house affairs committee. Peacemakers suggested that a third washroom be created for Guadagno, but the spokesman for a Christian Democrat party was adamant that "there are only two genders: male and female."
The question has been taken up by the speaker's office, which has promised a decision early this week.
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