Transgender people denied equal rights: HRW report

[webfact]

 

By Caleb Quinley

 

Transgender people in Thailand struggle to obtain access to legal recognition of their gender identity, making them vulnerable to systemic discrimination, a new Human Rights Watch report with the Thai Transgender Alliance said today.

 

The report, “‘People Can’t Be Fit Into Boxes’: Thailand’s Need for Legal Gender Recognition,” says that without legal gender recognition, compounded with limited legal protections and widespread social stigma, transgender people face difficulties accessing important services.

Researchers also found that Thailand’s laws, particularly the Gender Equality Act, do not in application function to serve the trans community as many trans people are still forced into countless daily scenarios where they are discriminated against by government administrators, doctors, police.

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/35892/transgender-people-denied-equal-rights-hrw-report/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2021-12-16

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[alyx]

I still cannot understand how that can be in a country where acceptance of the other seems to be the general feeling. Or maybe it is more "don't look, don't care"

Unfortunately , this is not the only "group" to be discriminated against here, and Thailand is definitely not the only country where such inequalities are obvious.

[mtls2005]

thailand's social contract is based on inequality, it's a feature not a bug and is baked into the very foundation.

 

Pyramidal in shape, the folks closer to the top are more equal than the folks huddled at the bottom: the poor, indigent, stateless, LGBTQ, handicapped, migrant workers, darker-skinned et al.

 

If there was any sort of even quasi-equality the whole house of cards would fail, spectacularly.

 

Significant effort goes into maintaining this illusion.

 

 

 

 

[digger70]

They should stick to there born  gender . But  Not what they want to be. 

 That's what gets them  in Trouble .

They are Born Male or Female .

[Enoon]

3 hours ago, digger70 said:

They should stick to there born  gender . But  Not what they want to be. 

 That's what gets them  in Trouble .

They are Born Male or Female .

They were assigned a sex at birth.

 

It is their gender that they seek to assert.

 

Maybe have a read up on the last 50 years science, with regard to sex and gender, (especially neuro-pathology) before you come back on that.

 

Or perhaps just watch a bit of sport on the "telly"?

 

 

[alyx]

9 hours ago, digger70 said:

They should stick to there born  gender . But  Not what they want to be. 

 That's what gets them  in Trouble .

They are Born Male or Female .

And some of us were born stupid. Unfortunately  unlike sex change, no hope for a positive evolution for those ones 

Keep it up

[Jingthing]

I could have told y'all that without any report. It's freakin' obvious.

[Thunglom]

10 hours ago, digger70 said:

They should stick to there born  gender . But  Not what they want to be. 

 That's what gets them  in Trouble .

They are Born Male or Female .

There's always one. I wonder what urges he's suppressing!

[Capella]

Thailand is a conservative country. Headbanging liberals in western sponsored outfits like HRW have no right to tell Thailand what to do.

[mahtin]

7 hours ago, Thunglom said:

There's always one. I wonder what urges he's suppressing!

Like his signature quote "If you don't try you will never know. "

[Neeranam]

19 hours ago, digger70 said:

They should stick to there born  gender . But  Not what they want to be. 

 That's what gets them  in Trouble .

They are Born Male or Female .

I used to think like this, but found that I could change my insecurities and biases. You should learn how to, it's liberating. 

[daveAustin]

On 12/16/2021 at 5:47 AM, mtls2005 said:

thailand's social contract is based on inequality, it's a feature not a bug and is baked into the very foundation.

 

Pyramidal in shape, the folks closer to the top are more equal than the folks huddled at the bottom: the poor, indigent, stateless, LGBTQ, handicapped, migrant workers, darker-skinned et al.

 

If there was any sort of even quasi-equality the whole house of cards would fail, spectacularly.

 

Significant effort goes into maintaining this illusion.

 

Very good post. Caveat being, however, you can be what you want to be at the top. 

[daveAustin]

20 hours ago, digger70 said:

They should stick to there born  gender . But  Not what they want to be. 

 That's what gets them  in Trouble .

They are Born Male or Female .

You should apply for a job in the Thai gov, or maybe North Korea, you’d fit right in with that dinosaur attitude ????

[Thunglom]

8 hours ago, Capella said:

HRW have no right to tell Thailand what to do.

Why?

how about you?

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by Thunglom

[Smithson]

22 hours ago, Enoon said:

They were assigned a sex at birth.

 

 

Assigned? Weren't they born with a sex that doesn't align with their gender identity?

[Jingthing]

36 minutes ago, Smithson said:

Assigned? Weren't they born with a sex that doesn't align with their gender identity?

There are cases of ambiguous genitals but yes for the vast majority the physical gender at birth is very obvious.

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

Speaking for myself it comes down to basic respect. A part of the community seeking equal rights/protections are not being respected. They can work in the entertainment and sex industry but are forces to conform to a gender identity that doesn't align with who they are as people. 

 

I don't care how a person appears to me. If in meeting them they prefer a certain pronoun, so be it. It's not for me to impose my beliefs onto them. It is for me to follow a simple rule of treating people as I wish to be treated.

[2009]

On 12/16/2021 at 12:47 PM, mtls2005 said:

Pyramidal in shape, the folks closer to the top are more equal than the folks huddled at the bottom: the poor, indigent, stateless, LGBTQ, handicapped, migrant workers, darker-skinned et al

What a lot of rubbish.

 

Handicapped people work at Tesco.

 

Ladyboys work at 7eleven.

 

Gays and Toms are everywhere from top to bottom (excuse the pun).

 

What's the problem with migrant workers? They chose to come here.

 

The "poor" in rural areas have 1-2 million in farmland per household, not to mention are home owners. They are asset rich, liquid poor. It is not the same as "poor" like some in the Khlong Toei slum.

 

Dark skinned people? What are you on about? You can find darker skinned Thais working at elite schools. They aren't discriminated against because they come from Isaan or how they look.

[Longwood50]

One thing about being a member of some grievance group, you can always blame everything that happens to you in your life on the fact you are a member of that minority 

When I find that another person gets waited on first in front of me, I can not blame discrimination.  When I don't get the job I applied for I can't blame that it is because of my race, color, creed, or sexual preference.  When a police officer stops me for a traffic violation I cant say I am being targeted.  When I am turned down for a loan at the bank I can not claim prejudice. 

The reality is that things we perceive to be unfair happen to everyone. However in the minority community they have learned the squeaky wheel lesson.  If they scream and holler the loudest they get the most attention and like the screaming child that the parent placates to shut them up, they find that screaming is a way to get something. 

Life is filled with decisions and consequences.  If I choose to drop out of school and I find I can't get hired is that "discrimination"?  If I tattoo my entire face, and I find I can't get a job as a fashion model, is that discrimination?   If I choose to have a beard but wear a dress and I find a department store does not wish to hire me as a sales clerk, is that discrimination? 

With transsexuals' they chose to have operations to alter their appearance.  Not always but often they wear clothing to draw attention to themselves.  That is their choice but to say that they should be ignorant of the consequences of being perceived as out of the mainstream is ludicrous.  Again, a significant number but not all, go out of their way to showcase that they are transexual and desire to draw attention to themselves.  The fact that some employers might find that inconsistent with who they wish on their staff, should not come as any surprise.  

 

The minorities of this world have been very successful in securing rights that are not just equal but superior to the majority that they are so use to getting them that they continue to think that being treated equally is being discriminated against.  With being not a member of a minority group, you do not get affirmative action mandates requiring you be hired, you do not get the right to sue if discharged based on your minority status, you do not get mandates to have a specific percentage comprised of your work force, management, or board of directors, you do not get contract set asides that only you qualify for. 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by Longwood50

[Pedrogaz]

Goodness gracious. There is inequality of poor people which is a much, much greater priority than gender and wokeness. I hope to god that wokeness does not hit these shores.

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, HappyGoLuckyLife said:

so be it. It's not for me to impose my beliefs onto them

Am inclined to say they wish to impose their beliefs on me though!

[tingtong]

I am also rudely discriminated, and fighting to correct injustice!

 

I am 45 yo, but identify as a 68 yo retired CEO Pepsi Co., and petition both my country authority and my imaginary employer to meet my demand of extravagant pension demands I clearly no doubt entitled for and deserve!

 

 

[sherwood]

This whole debate reminds me of the need for three separate toilet allocations in public ablution facilities. Male, Female and Handicap.

Life, get on with it, or not. 

 

No time for sooks. 

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

7 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Am inclined to say they wish to impose their beliefs on me though!

I think most people are looking to be treated with respect and with some sort of dignity. Yes, I imagine it's stressful if you're hearing "that's a dude" when you're not the most passable female presenting out in public. Some people are less worried about passing and just want to be respected for who they are. Yeah, do some people get spicy and insist on being called sir, mam, they, etc? I'm sure. But I also look at what they have to deal with every day and have made the conscious decision not to be a part of their daily stress.