Lack reflects underlying prejudices.
LGBTQ advocacy groups in Thailand are calling for immediate legal measures to protect trans people from hate acts following the harsh shooting of a Thai transgender person by a Chinese national last week in Pattaya.
Art Tongyung, 42, allegedly murdered the sufferer after she turned down his demand for sex.
The affair shook the LGBTQ community in Thailand and rekindled calling for better safeguards against crime motivated by gender identity.
The crime was described as a hate crime and a sign of deep-rooted architectural violence against transgender individuals by Trans Pride Thailand, a civic society organization.
This horror is not an isolated event; rather, it reflects the widespread violence that transgender people experience every day, the statement read.
” Despite Thailand’s status for tolerance,”” We still do not have the constitutional protections against hate crimes directed at trans people.”
350 trans and gender-diverse people were murdered worldwide between October 2023 and September 2024, according to Transgender Europe, an NGO, the highest number recorded since monitoring began in 2008.
The Thai Health Promotion Foundation reports that over 30 000 people, children, and transgender people are victims of violence each year despite Thailand’s lack of official information on anti-trans crime. Particularly trans people are three times more likely than the general population to experience violence.
In response, Trans Pride Thailand is urging the state to pass certain hate crime laws protecting LGBTQ individuals, create effective prevention strategies for violence against gender-diverse communities, establish a secure, visible, and equal justice system for survivors, and promote diverse education and awareness to overcome gender-based prejudice.
” The lives of transgender people are precious and deserving of dignity and equality. No one should lose their life simply because of who they are. In the face of this injustice, the organization declared,” We will not remain silent.”
These issues were shared by the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand ( RSAT ), a organization that promotes LGBTQ rights.
While Thailand is frequently perceived as LGBTQ-friendly, transgender people still face widespread discrimination, according to Deputy Director for Human Rights and Sustainability, Caesar Rittiwong.
She cited a 2020 study from Out BKK, which found that 54 % of transgender people face discrimination at work, 49 % face barriers to getting medical care, and 59 % are unable to use titles that accurately reflect their gender identity.
She said that” Thailand still lacks legal gender recognition and hate crime protections for transgender people.” This legal vacuum exposes the community to ongoing ailment. She claimed that Pattaya murder is “only the tip of the iceberg.”
RSAT and the People’s Movement to Eliminate Discrimination are working together to address a petition to the House of Representatives Committee on Children, Women, the Elderly, People with Disabilities, Ethnic Groups, and Gender Diversity.
The petition calls for the Chinese embassy to be held accountable for the actions of its citizens, raising awareness of gender-based bias in law enforcement, and enforcing legal protections for sex workers.
Nachale Boonyapisomparn, the vice president of the Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights, emphasized the necessity of community-based safety nets in addition to legal reforms.
Many people ask why survivors don’t report to the police, she said.
The truth is that transgender sex workers in Thailand frequently face entrapment and abuse from authorities. The legal system is a last resort, not a first choice, for them.
Ms. Nachale urged the public to follow the case and hold the perpetrator accountable, calling it a crucial step in the restoration of community trust in Thailand’s justice system.
She also emphasized the value of teaching transgender people self-defense as a life skill, particularly in settings where there may be deep cultural prejudices against them.
Self-defence classes are not just beneficial, but it is essential to empower our community to protect ourselves, she said, in a world that continues to be unsafe for many of us.