Protecting the rights of Thailand’s ‘third gender’

[webfact]

Protecting the rights of Thailand’s ‘third gender’

national April 03, 2019 01:00

By Chularat Saengpassa 
The Nation

 

Photo credit : AFP

 

THE ANNUAL military drafts are being held around the country until April 12 and members of the Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights are also on a mission … to provide ladyboys with all the information they need to prepare for the occasion.

 

The procedure involves the drawing of red and black cards – those who get the red ones must undertake military service. 

Foundation executive director Jetsada “Note” Taesombat said her staff and supporters would observe how the draft was conducted in Phuket, Trang, Songkhla, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Bangkok, Lop Buri, Chon Buri and Rayong provinces to make sure all went smoothly, without anyone’s rights being violated. 

 

Photo credit : AFP

 

Jetsada said that every year her Foundation helped to equip ladyboys in three phases; the pre-draft, the draft itself and the post-draft. 

 

“We show video clips and give advice so they are ready to face any situation,” Jetsada said. “Staff are also there to make observations because some ladyboys have in the past been subjected to sexual harassment and disrespectful gestures by military officers, which are most inappropriate because all genders have equal rights.”

 

Ladyboys who have taken hormones, undergone cosmetic breast surgery or completed surgical transitioning, must undergo a physical examination at one of 20 hospitals that provides such a service – these include Bangkok’s Phra Mongkutklao and Somdet Chaophraya hospitals – so that doctors can issue medical certificates for them to submit to the military draft committees. 

 

Photo credit :Nation

 

Jetsada said ladyboys would be exempt from conscription if they have completed surgical transitioning to become females, or if they have had cosmetic breast surgery or even if they taken on a feminine appearance due to hormone medication. No transgender woman in her early 20s had shown up for the draft as the sex-change surgery was expensive and time-consuming, she said. 

 

Citing their observations of what has happened so far in Bangkok, Jetsada said two ladyboys had been given exemptions – one presented a medical certificate and the other had been examined and confirmed to have had breast surgery. 

 

 

“We also notice about the drug-urine test procedure that requires a ladyboy to use the same restroom as the men, so we have asked for a separate restroom, with female officers guarding the door,” she said.

 

“Now we are worried about such scenarios also taking place in other provinces so we will create an infographic to keep the ladyboys informed of their rights and to make sure officers have a good understanding [of their rights],” she said. 

 

Jetsada claimed some ladyboys had in the past been sexually harassed during the taking of urine samples.

 

She dismissed as untrue speculation that some straight men would stage a “ladyboy” state in order to avoid conscription. “No one would undergo breast surgery and hormone medication courses just to fool officers into giving them an exemption,” she said. “Anyway, all ladyboys must present the correct medical certificates.”

 

Meanwhile, the drafts continued at various provinces yesterday. 

 

In Angthong’s Sam Ko districts, two beautiful ladyboys - Ekkachai Tumthong and Jirapong Sotathamsiri, both 21 – showed up for conscription into the reserve army. After undergoing physical examinations, however, both were given exemptions.

 

In the past, ladyboys and transgender women were included in the “fourth category” of people, which included the disabled and those suffering from mental illness. As the drafting procedure required all men to remove their shirts for public examination, some ladyboys who had already undergone breast surgery had reportedly been subjected to ridicule, harassment and sexual violation. 

 

That was reported to have been common until 2006 when the gender diversity network led by Samart Meecharoen brought the matter to the attention of the Administrative Court. That occasion led to a campaign for military officers to better understand gender equality and human dignity.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30367020

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-03

[Artisi]

why should they be exempt, plenty of exciting jobs for them in the kitchen, gardening, house cleaning, nursing, etc - Good enough for the straight guys to be conscripted, good enough for all. 

[sammieuk1]

Wonder if there is a general in charge of sausage testing or can anyone have a go???? 

[ivor bigun]

There are two genders ,male and female, oh i forgot the Brighton one THEY lol

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[hotchilli]

Nothing wrong with a G.I.Jane... I'm sure they could find a suitable position for the 3rd gender in the army !!

[lordblackader]

Came for the usual transphobic comments from Thaivisa members, wasn't disappointed ????

[Myran]

19 minutes ago, lordblackader said:

Came for the usual transphobic comments from Thaivisa members, wasn't disappointed ????

Disagreeing with something does not equal fear. People are allowed to have an opinion, even about transgender issues.

[howbri]

There is no 3rd gender.

[seajae]

there is no third gender, there are only male and female. Males or females that want to be the opposite sex are not a separate gender

[khaowong1]

"all genders have equal rights".  There are 2 genders, XX and XY.  I don't care how you scream, cry, make crap up.  "2".  

[DrTuner]

6 hours ago, howbri said:

There is no 3rd gender.

True, but it seems these days more and more have got their plumbing and CPU mixed up. Probably nature's way of population control.

[ivor bigun]

Came for the usual transphobic comments from Thaivisa members, wasn't disappointed [emoji846]

Cant see any transphobic posts, trans is not a 3rd gender its just a man or woman wanting to be either a woman or a man ,dont be so quick to judge.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[canthai55]

I could give a R-ts A-s what you like to do.

Dress up in a Chicken Suit and swing from the chandelier ? Fine.

Just don't ask to use mine 

[geoffbezoz]

On 4/3/2019 at 7:24 AM, howbri said:

There is no 3rd gender.

There is if you are delusional ?

[the guest]

There's only XX and XY 

[ThaiBunny]

2 minutes ago, the guest said:

There's only XX and XY 

Fake news - there are more combinations https://www.who.int/genomics/gender/en/index1.html