A Dream Deferred: A Look At Transgender Discrimination In Thailand

Sadly, visibility doesn’t always align with formal acceptance.

Bangkok, Thailand – Warat “Bai Thong” Tanasanti was a brilliant student who dreamed of becoming a lawyer. Her dreams came to a screeching halt, however, when she realized that this wasn’t possible.

The reason for the 24-year old’s struggle has nothing to do with her qualifications or with Thailand’s employment rate.

Rather, the reason for her struggle has everything to do with how she chooses to identify—as a transgender woman.

Tanasanti, a junior lawyer for Kamthorn Surachet & Somsak, cannot achieve her goal of becoming a prosecutor because she refuses to wear the uniform that aligns with her born-male sex. Cross-dressing in Thai Court is a crime worthy of probation, she explained, because it “mocks” the sanctity of the Judge.

by Julia Boccagno – Pulitzer Center
Source – Huffington Post