PUBLISHED: 8 Jun 2024 at 08: 27
In Phuket, a group known as the Asian Pride Alliance ( APA ) initiative has been established to advance LGBTQIA2S rights and gender equality.
” Eastern Pride Alliance will serve as a secure place for the LGBTQIA2S community across the region, fostering equality and gaining respect for one’s rights in all sizes”, said Michelle Meow, manufacturer and APA advisory committee, who identifies as men.
The program and its accompanying events are a major pioneering program and the first of its kind at a local level in Asia, according to Mr. Meow, who was also a founding member of InterPride.
He said Phuket’s hosting and support of the event has created collaboration within the LGBTQIA2S community both regionally and globally.
Mr. Meow claimed that the LGBTQIA2S community’s celebrations have a strong foundation in the fight against prejudice and human rights violations.
He praised the alliance’s establishment as a powerful tool for bolstering regional allies, making a positive impact on the LGBTQIA2S community, and taking pride in being a part of an effort to advance equality and justice, according to him.
Plaifah Kyoka Shodladd, an APA co- founder, indicated the effort to bridge borders, fostering support and cooperation within the Pride Community in Thailand and across Asia.
” This marks a historic moment for the pride community”, Ms Plaifah said.
The group’s formation will have a significant impact on the visibility and advocacy for the LGBTQIA2S community in Asia and other areas.
The alliance will be able to drive forward in creating cooperation and strengthening the unity of the LGBTQIA2S community, she said.
Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, director of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau ( Tceb), said the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding ( MoU) on the alliance is the result of the cooperation, with participants from many countries, including the US, Turkey and Japan.
The signing of the MoU aims to encourage the growth of a network that fights for freedom of expression and human rights, which is Phuket’s first collaborative network.
The pride organizations in Phuket and more than ten southern provinces have collaborated.
” Thailand’s cultural values, including openness and respect, have enabled the LGBTQIA2S community to grow and coexist. As a government agency, we fully support the pride community in driving towards an equal society”, said Mr Chiruit. We think the establishment of the alliance will carry on Thailand’s commitment to regional cooperation and make it possible to host upcoming world pride events.