Meeting Without Knowing It

A public toilet in a residential area for migrant workers in 史各庄村 (Shǐgèzhuāng Village), 北京 (Běijīng), China. Photo: Reuters.

Passepartout

Italy’s northern city of Reggio Emilia declared its intention to follow the footsteps of Germany, where the unisex public toilets are already at work since long time. Reggio Emilia’s Mayor, Democratic Party (PD) member Luca Vecchi, called the newly approved protocol — the first in its genre all over the country — a step forward on the way of granting “full rights and equal dignity for all people” regardless of their gender in public institutions such as city halls, schools, universities, and hospitals.

The sign used to mark gender-neutral toilets at Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) in Turku, Finland. Credit: Åbo Akademi University.

Desert Survival Skills

• Amazing toilets around the world – in pictures, The Guardian, April 12, 2016

You can forget frills, privacy and shelter in this open-air latrine in the arid heart of Bolivia’s Siloli Desert, a continuation of the Atacama Desert in neighbouring Chile. Photo: Robert Downie/Lonely Planet.

Chott el Djerid, a large salt lake in southern Tunisia, was used as the setting for Luke Skywalker’s boyhood home in the original Star Wars film. The Lars’ subterranean homestead may have been destroyed, but the Galactic Empire failed to extinguish the new hope represented by these roadside “comfort” toilets. Photo: Lucio Valmaggia/Lonely Planet.