• Transgender Media

  Thai military lifts transgender restriction

  Posted by Adrian on 12/08/2005 at 7:48 am

  Source: http://uk.gay.com/headlines/8886
  Thursday 11 August, 2005 12:05

  Transgender recruits can now serve in Thailand’s military, after it amended a law that declared transgender citizens suffer from a mental disorder.

  “The existing conscription law has been promulgated since 1954, when there were few homosexuals and transvestites, but society is changing very fast, so the army is in the process of amending the law and omitting those words from the certificate,” said Lt. Gen. Arthorn Lohitkul, director general of the Army Reserve Command in a quote published by the Associated Press (AP).

  All men in Thailand are required by law to register to serve in the military as conscript soldiers when they turn 20.

  Recruits are randomly selected, but several transgender recruits are turned away, with certificates that claim they were turned away “due to mental disorder”.

  Parinya Charoenphol, a celebrity Thai-style kickboxer who underwent surgery to become a woman, told a local television station, “The words ‘mental disorder’ marked on the certificate seriously affects our lives.”

  A film about Charoenphol will be released in the UK next month.

  Gay rights activist Natee Theerarojnaphongm, who launched the campaign to omit the words from the conscript exemption, added:

  “No employer wants to hire anyone with a record of mental disorder to work in his company.”

  Theerarojnaphongm added people saddled with the “mental disorder” description had difficulties making certain legal arrangements.

  Adrian replied 19 years, 8 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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