Most Taiwan all-gender restrooms do not meet standards: Rights group

Taipei, Nov. 20 (CNA) Only five of the 149 government-listed all-gender restrooms recently inspected across Taiwan met the required standards for such facilities, including clear signage indicating they are open to all genders, an LGBTQ+ rights group said on Wednesday.

"Some facilities were listed as all-gender restrooms, but they were simply the same as conventional men's and women's restrooms," Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔), secretary-general of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR), said at a news conference in Taipei.

In September and October, the alliance inspected 149 restrooms in 17 counties and cities that were among the 831 all-gender restrooms listed by the Ministry of Environment (MOENV), and it found that only five met all of the key standards listed by the ministry and 13 other organizations, Chien said.

The standards include five basic indicators, such as requiring clear all-gender signage and fully enclosed urinal cubicles, and 14 advanced indicators, including using neutral colors and designs that avoid gender-stereotyped imagery, Chien said.

Such design features are important to non-binary individuals, as unclear signage and gendered imagery can make them feel uncomfortable, while enclosed spaces help them feel safer and more at ease, according to the TAPCPR.

"What is more troubling is that many of the listed all-gender restrooms could not even be found -- they were essentially 'ghost restrooms,'" Chien said.

Ninety-five restrooms did not meet the standards because they were either conventional gender-segregated facilities, had shared spaces with accessible or family restrooms, or had no screens or partitions for the urinals, according to the alliance.

While 54 restrooms were in line with the basic indicators, only five met the advanced indicators -- four in New Taipei and one in Taipei, the TAPCPR said.

At the news conference, Chien called on MOENV to address what she described as "a very bad situation," noting that the ministry has an action plan to increase the number of all-gender restrooms across Taiwan to more than 1,200 by 2029 with a budget of NT$280.35 million (US$8.98 million).

In response, the MOENV issued a statement later the same day, saying that most of the listed all-gender restrooms were designated before its action plan was introduced in 2024.

"As the action plan is still in its initial phase, the ministry will continue to offer subsidies and guidance to help promote improvements," the MOENV said.

Currently, Taiwan's listed all-gender restrooms are public toilets, designated as such by managing agencies in an effort to "make them accessible to more people," according to the ministry.