LGBTQ ushers new era

Discrimination is rife for transgender people, who find themselves missing out on job opportunities and dealing with stereotypes

Bangkok: It takes Siraphob Attohi three hours to transform from a harried student into his drag queen persona Masala Bold — a wisecracking MC, who raises calls for gender equality during Thailand’s protests for democratic reforms.

A regular at Bangkok’s student-led rallies, Masala Bold’s glamorous presence and ribald jokes provide a teasing interlude between speeches from protest leaders demanding the resignation of Thailand’s premier and reforms to the monarchy.

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But far from being simply an entertainer, theatre student Siraphob — who goes by the nickname Raptor and identifies as male offstage — says the movement’s goals align with the LGBTQ community’s desire for gender equality.

“If we can’t get real democracy in Thailand, then the rights for the LGBTQ community wouldn’t exist either,” he tells AFP.

“So it’s my pleasure and my honour to use my theatre skills to be an activist and to help people, but actually it’s all about my future too.” The 21-year-old and other prominent LGBTQ personalities have played a very visible role in the youth-led movement since it kicked off in July.In demonstrations where the vibe can turn from festive to tense in just a matter of minutes, they have stood alongside black-clad protesters, dressed in eye-catching outfits and unfurling massive rainbow flags.

The protesters’ key demands are for royal reforms, a rewrite of a military-scripted constitution and for the resignation of army chief-turned-premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

But embedded in these core goals lies a clear path to marriage and gender equality in Thailand, says Angele Anang, a prominent transgender drag queen and the winner of popular reality show Drag Race Thailand.

“We don’t have the same rights,” she says, adding that the community’s greatest goal is for same-sex marriage to be legalised in Thailand.”It is the key to unlocking inequality.”