Thai Army Ordered By Court To Halt Problematic Trans Classification

I talked about this issue that Thai transpeople face when they are disqualified for military service by labeling them as mentally ill. There has been a lawsuit filed, activism centered on the issue and changes to that policy are being discussed in the ‘Land of Smiles’. Because the birth records of Thai transwomen are not changed to reflect the persons they are now, after age 18 they are subject to being conscripted into the Thai military. The Thai army routinely disqualifies transpeople and when doing so classifies them in their conscription documents as having a ‘permanent mental disorder’. Because people considered male in Thailand have to present those conscription documents when applying for jobs at government agencies or private companies to confirm they have fulfilled their military obligations, that classification can have deleterious effects on your employment prospects as Samart Meecharoen discovered in 2005. She filed a lawsuit against defense

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