Hobart City Council moving forward with plan to roll out trans and gender diverse posters in public toilets

Trans and gender diverse posters are set to be rolled out across public toilets in Hobart, but only temporarily due to a fear of backlash.

HOBART City Council will soon display trans and gender-diverse posters in public toilets around the city, but only on a temporary basis to avoid “unintended social consequences.”

Earlier this year, Councillor Holly Ewin put forward the proposal to install the posters.

Cr Ewin said it would give the council the opportunity to show support and solidarity with the queer community as gender-diverse people faced discrimination, harassment, and even violence, which contributed to social exclusion, stigmatisation and negative mental health.

In June, council officers recommended against permanently displaying the posters, but instead including them in an annual display rotation at 10 different convenience facilities.

In a new report to the parks and recreation committee meeting tomorrow night, the proposed wording of the posters is stated as being:

“We all need somewhere to go. If we, accept that our bodies come in all different shapes and sizes and respect each other’s privacy, then everyone can feel safe in here.”

The design of the posters involved consultation with Working it Out, Transforming Tasmania and Women’s Heath Tasmania, the report said.

Feminist group Women Speak Tasmania said it fundamentally disagreed that “women should

be encouraged to accept any male bodied person in sex segregated facilities. We know that women will not feel safe with male bodied people in public sex segregated toilets.”

The posters are proposed to be installed as soon as practical for three months.

“The installation of trans and gender-diverse posters may have unintended social consequences and as such, a temporary poster installation is seen preferable at this stage,” the report states.

“As an issue that sparks debate and strong opinion, posters may create a backlash of discriminatory comment in the public sphere.”