FOCUS THAILAND LGBTQIA+ RIGHTS

'Equality for all': LGBTQIA+ community in Thailand calls for more rights

epa11424795 Thai transgender teacher Guntaphat Suwanreung wears a female teacher uniform as she adjusts her hair before class at Wat Pathum Wanaram school in Bangkok, Thailand, 28 May 2024 (issued 20 June 2024). Guntaphat, 42, is a rare example of a transgender woman who is allowed to wear a typical female civil servant's uniform while teaching her students. She says a gender recognition law in Thailand would remove some of the obstacles trans people face. 'I dress as a female but my legal documents identify me as a male, which confuses people, especially when I have to travel outside of Bangkok for conferences, when organizers always put me in a shared room with a man. It takes time to explain and it is not easy to change.' Thailand has just passed, on 18 June, a historic marriage equality bill that will grant same-sex couples advantages that are currently only enjoyed by heterosexual married couples, such as tax benefits, as well the right to inherit and manage their spouse's assets; or to give spousal consent for medical treatment and to adopt children. But activists and rights groups say that more action is needed if Thailand is to justify its reputation as a relatively safe and welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ people. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT ATTENTION: For the full FOCUS ESSAY text please go to: https://epaimages.com/misc.pp?code=section-focus

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