Publications
Elected last month, Vladimir Luxuria said on Thursday she was opposed to restroom "apartheid" after a centre-right lawmaker suggested the creation of a special, third lavatory for all transgender politicians.
In Italy, and all of Europe, that means just Luxuria.
"I didn't expect politics to sink this low," Luxuria, a 40-year-old drag queen and defender of gay rights said in an interview with the online edition of Corriere della Sera daily.
Born Wladimiro Guadagno, Luxuria prefers to be referred to as a she and expressed a general preference for women's bathrooms. She suggested women reacted better than men did.
Embarrassing moments
"There are many difficult moments in the life of a transgender and even some embarrassing ones, like the use of public bathrooms. Maybe we go to the women's bathroom because the men get embarrassed," Luxuria said.
The transgender bathroom, Corriere said, was suggested by a newly elected lawmaker in the lower house of parliament, Lucio Barani, a member of centre-right opposition.
Barani said in a statement it would avoid embarrassment.
Campaign promises
Luxuria, who has dressed in low-key women's suits since entering the world of politics, is keen not to be considered a novelty along the lines of porn star Ilona 'Cicciolina' Staller who sat in the assembly in the 1980s and was famous for her impromptu stripteases.
Among her campaign issues was a promise to seek legal recognition of civil unions by homosexual couples.
"The apartheid of urinary segregation is not an issue that moves me particularly," Luxuria said. "I don't want the privilege of having a bathroom all to myself."
'Better a fascist than a faggot'
It is not the first time that Luxuria has found herself under attack by the centre right.
Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of Italy's wartime fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, attacked her on state television when she was asked by Luxuria whether she wanted to lock up homosexuals.
"Better a fascist than a faggot," Mussolini snapped.
