A national survey on experiences of discrimination and social attitudes towards LGBT people in Thailand
In 2018-2019, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducted a survey on the experiences of and stigma facing LGBT people in Thailand. It was one of the largest national surveys to examine the experiences of and social attitudes towards LGBT people. Overall, 2,210 participants took part in the study. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 57. The study also included qualitative data from 12 focus group discussions with 93 people in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok and Pattani.
Though Thailand has a history and a global reputation for tolerance, the study found that in reality the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are limited by stigma and discrimination. Negative beliefs and attitudes about LGBT people prevent them from reaching their full potential as workers, students and members of society
Fact Sheet - English (67.0 kB)
A note on Thai language in relation to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.
In Thailand, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and having an intersex variation are widely conflated with each other. There is a general presumption that if you are a transgender woman, you are attracted to men, with the overall assumption that you are the same as a gay man. This holds true for transgender men, with the assumption that they are simply masculine lesbians. For instance, the Thai culturally specific term kathoey can refer to either a transgender woman or gay man while the term tom can refer to either a transgender man or lesbian woman.
Thai society strictly adheres to gender stereotypes that categorize people into either male or female with specific expectations of how a man or woman should behave. Those whose gender identity lies beyond the binary of male and female are thus rendered invisible. Intersex people are rendered invisible and their naturally occurring biological variations are seen as something to be ‘fixed’. Intersex people may commonly be subsumed under the transgender category by the general public and policymakers who are not sensitized to intersex issues.
The social recognition of someone as transgender often depends on whether they have undergone medical transition (gender-affirming hormonal treatments and surgical interventions). It is common for transgender men and women to be seen as lesbians and gay men respectively, prior to physically transitioning, even though their internal sense of gender has remained consistent and often regardless of their sexual orientation.