Transgender people continue to experience marginalization and exclusion in Thai society because of a lack of legal protections. This is a key finding from a new study on legal gender recognition launched on 2 May at a national level meeting in Bangkok.
Today’s meeting brought together over 60 participants from Government, civil society, academia, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand and development partners to discuss laws, regulations, policies and practices that impact on transgender people’s right to recognition before the law. The Multi-Stakeholder National Roundtable Discussion on Transgender Legal Gender Recognition in Thailand was organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
“In Thailand, the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development recognizes the different challenges faced by people whose gender identity do not match their sex assigned at birth,” said Lertpanya Booranabundit, Director General, Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development. “We hope that the findings of the joint study released today, Legal Gender Recognition in Thailand: A Legal and Policy Review, and inputs from this multi-stakeholder meeting can serve as a valuable resource to influence policies that will protect the rights of transgender people.”
The failure to officially recognize a person’s gender identity, including name and gender marker, in public registries and key identity and citizenship documents affects the ability of transgender people to navigate daily life – everything from job applications, to banking, to receiving an educational degree, to picking up a parcel. In the absence of adequate legal recognition, transgender people are excluded. Such exclusion increases vulnerability to discrimination and violence, and is a serious barrier to accessing health care and social services.
“The movement for greater inclusion of LGBTI people has made significant gains here in Thailand,” said Deirdre Boyd, UNDP Resident Representative during her opening speech. “However, the vast majority of transgender people are still unable to obtain any official identification documents that reflect their gender identity. Legal gender recognition is an important requirement for transgender people to meaningfully participate in society and to prevent discrimination.” Read more via UNDP