The Pink Toilet

[Referred from a post by Grace Poore, ap-rainbow, 11 November 2008.]

Asia: The Tale of the Pink Toilet: Transgender Rights in Thailand
Date: November 3, 2008

In 2007, sexual rights activists in Thailand came together as a coalition to demand that their rights be included in the new constitution being drafted by the Constitution Drafting Assembly. Their demands included the rights to non-discrimination, same-sex marriage, and inheritance rights for same-sex couples, as well as the right of gay men and transgender individuals to seek and receive legal redress for rape. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission wrote to the Thai National Assembly (parliament) in support of our Thai colleagues and urged Assembly members to recognize sexual diversity and sexual rights in Thailand. Unfortunately, despite the strong backing of Thailand’s Human Rights Commission, the vote on the proposal to include these rights in the new constitution was narrowly defeated in the National Assembly. Eventually, the political upheavals in Thailand altogether delayed the adoption of the new constitution. For Thai activists the fact that the parliamentary debate on the new constitution was nationally televised is worth celebrating since, for the first time, issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity received a level of serious scrutiny.

Within this context, IGLHRC was interested in examining the implications of designating separate toilets for katoey college and high school students in Thailand. The term, katoey is used broadly for transgender identified people, transsexuals, cross-dressers, or effeminate men in Thai society. In 2004, a private vocational college in Chiang Mai, Thailand offered its katoey population of 15 students the option of using separate toilet facilities. In 2008, a public high school set up a separate toilet for katoey students. What do these gestures signal for Thailand’s katoeys who are considered inferior even as they are acknowledged in Thai society?

Thai gay activist and newspaper columnist, Paisarn Likhitpreechakul provides this report and analysis for IGLHRC.

[Read the rest of the article HERE.]