The Ministry of Environment today said it is to invest NT$280 million (US$8.76 million) over the next four years to double the number of gender-neutral public bathrooms nationwide.
The ministry held a news conference announcing the project to increase the number of gender-neutral bathroom facilities between next year and 2029 from 623 to 1,246.
About 13,000 transgender and gender-neutral people contributed to the Gender Equality Committee’s survey on LGBTQ+ issues last year.
Photo: Chen Chia-yi, Taipei Times
Of those who reported experiencing discrimination or fraught situations, 17 percent occurred in public restrooms or changing rooms.
The ministry last year released guidelines for creating friendlier restroom facilities for families and disabled people, which includes lighting, emergency button and other requirements, Environmental Management Administration Director-General Yen Hsu-ming (顏旭明) said.
Yet there are also gender inequalities in restrooms, Yen said.
For example, women often need to line up while there is no wait for the men’s room, while others experience discomfort when accompanying a person of another gender requiring care into a restroom, he said.
Creating gender-neutral restrooms would also respect gender diversity and provide a safe and dignified bathroom environment for all, he added.
There are currently about 44,000 public restrooms under government management, Yen said.
Localities would be given funding to either renovate or build new facilities in suitable locations such as markets and transport stations, he said, adding that funding would not be available for private entities.
According to the ministry’s public restroom satisfaction survey last year, about 69 percent of respondents said they have no problem with gender-neutral facilities, Yen said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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