reader Posted July 29, 2019 Posted July 29, 2019 They may not represent the reason why most members travel to Bangkok but they're an intricate part of the local gay scene. They delight the largely Asian audiences from every show bar from Soi 4 to Patpong and even in Moonlight. This article explores their achievements in finding their place in LGBT communities and the discrimination that complicates their lives. From the Bangkok Post What is it like to be a transgender person in Thailand, a nation that seems to be friendly to the LGBTI population? Each person would probably reply differently depending on personal experiences they've had navigating their daily lives. But there remains a common theme of discrimination and prejudice -- found both at a personal and legal level -- that all of them face regardless of where or who they are in this society. This month, the movement for transgender legal recognition took a leap forward when a group of transgender women led by Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, CEO of JKN Global Media, introduced their newly-founded Life Inspired For Transsexuals (Lift) Foundation to advocate for an inclusive society free of gender-based barriers and to support legal gender recognition of transgender people. Representatives of the group visited parliament last Thursday to push for a bill that would allow transgender people to change their title after they undergo sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Society is somewhat against the idea, with illogical reasoning to back their argument. Some fear criminals would take advantage of the law to change themselves and avoid paying for their crimes. They somehow fail to acknowledge that, if this were the case, it's way easier and more sensible to change one's name and get the surgery done to their face, not genitals. Others fear transgender women will take this opportunity to fool men into marrying them. A lot of the ideas are born from stigma, as well as the lack of understanding on the lengthy process of SRS, which takes both counselling with psychologists and medical professionals for hormone replacement therapy and surgery. It is certainly not something that can be achieved overnight, and unfortunately not by everyone due to financial and health limitations. These limitations also raised concerns that pushing for title change only after undergoing SRS can be problematic for many who can't afford it for various reasons. Does physical appearance trump how a person identifies themselves? Also, with no legal recognition or title change allowed, Thai transgender people continue to face problems in different areas from receiving healthcare to travelling abroad. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1720675/the-right-to-title-change vinapu 1 Quote
reader Posted August 4, 2019 Author Posted August 4, 2019 From the Bangkok Post More acceptable in Thai society Transsexual people have become more acceptable in Thai society, according to an opinion survey released on Sunday by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll. The poll was conducted on July 30-31 on 1,259 people aged 15 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country to gauge their attitudes to transgender people on various issues including their demand to change their title and for an additional box to tick their alternative genders in officials documents. Asked whether it would be acceptable to them if their friends or colleagues at workplaces are transsexuals, a huge majority - or 90.15% - said "yes", reasoning that people should be judged by their ability and conduct, not their sexual preference; 7.78% said "no", saying they are not acceptable to them; and 2.07% were uncertain or had no comment. In a 2015 survey, the percentage of acceptance was 88.72. Asked how they would react if a member of their family is transgender, 86.81% said he or she would be acceptable to them; 11.44% said he or she would not be acceptable to them; and 1.75% were uncertain or had no comment. In the 2015 survey, the percentage of acceptance was 79.92. On a proposal for transgender people to be allowed to change their name title, 54.49% said they agreed with it; 36.53% disagreed, saying that confusion could reign in the process of identifying people when they contact government offices; and 8.98% were uncertain or had no comment. In the 2015 survey, only 39.44% agreed that they should be allowed to change their title. Lastly, when asked if a box for transgender people to tick should be added into all kinds of government documents to be filled in, 65.69% said they agreed; 26.92% disagreed, saying that they should identify their original sex at birth; and 7.39% were uncertain or had no comment. The percentage of agreement was 59.36 in the 2015 survey. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1724423/transsexuals-more-acceptable-in-thai-society-nida-poll Quote
