Thai Transwomen No Longer Considered 'Insane' By Military

While United States transpeople are gearing up for a battle to openly serve in the military long since won in other nations such as Canada, Israel, Spain, the Czech Republic and Australia, our Thai transsisters recently won one just to not be labeled insane by their military for being themselves. 

In Thailand all males starting at age 21 until age 30 are entered into a subscription lottery to serve two years in the military.   Because as of now in Thailand you aren't allowed to change the gender designation on your ID cards, they also include transwomen in that military draft lottery as well. 

If your trans and don't want to be in the army, you fear your number being called more than anyone for various reasons.

When you're living as a transwoman and you win this lottery, that's problematic  Not only do you have to spend the next two years of your life in military service, it means enduring a medical entrance exam in which they have you take off your shirt and measure your chest in full public view on Military Conscription Day.  No thanks to modern communications technology, photos of those transpeople's chests end up on the Net the next day. 

To mitigate the embarassment to transpeople and protect the draft ritual, several years ago trans inductees examinations were moved into a private room, but the harassment continued.  Having your long hair cut and you being denuded of the very femininity you spent years building up when you didn't want to be in the military in the first place is traumatic to the transwoman as well.
 

To add to your drama, your posting could range anywhere from a dull military duty one to patrolling the southern Thailand-Malaysia border engaged in fighting in the seven year conflict against Islamic insurgents that has killed over 4,500 people. The insurgents also have a penchant for beheading troops they encounter. 

In practice, Thai transwomen are rarely inducted into military service and are rejected as 'unfit for military service' for having 'malformed chests'.  But one of the other things that have been causing distress for Thai transwomen who have been called up for military service and rejected is having 'mental disorder' or 'permanently insane' written into their permanent military record.

That designation messes with your job prospects, and despite the 'Land of Smiles' international reputation as a trans friendly place, there are still transphobic elements of Thai society who engage in discrimination against transpeople.

Thai transwoman and Bangkok resident Samart 'Sweetwater' Meecharoen discovered this the hard way in 2006. After the insane' label on her 2005 conscription military records destroyed a promising job interview, she sued the Ministry of Defense over it

The designation not only hurt her employment wise, it messed with her ability to open bank accounts in Thailand and getting a visa to travel to other nations.

After relentless activism since 2006 instigated by her over this issue, the Thai military has agreed to stop labeling the records of trans inductees they dismiss in that manner.   They proposed substituting 'gender identity disorder' for it, but human rights group nixed that one as well.  

The Thai military will now use a classification system that shows draftees as either Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3 in addition to amending the part of nation's Conscription Act of 1954 that states transgender people are exempt from conscription because they are considered psychologically abnormal .  

Type 2 will refer to draftees who have undergone breast augmentation, and Type 3 will refer to draftees who have had SRS.   However, if the number of Type 1 drafees is insufficient for Thai military force requirements, they will take Type 2 people.  

Thai transpeople have been able to serve in their military since 2003 and it seems that some continued activism is needed on this issue. It would allow the Thai military to fulfill its needs for conscripts and Thai transwomen who end up being drafted to spend their two years of service serving their nation honorably, openly, proudly and without harassment.  

Miss Tiffany's Universe 2011 Is...

I am way late with this post.  Slipped my mind when May rolled around that it was Miss Tiffany's Universe pageant time in Pattaya and needed to do my annual 'who won it' post.   Another reason I was probably distracted from it because it was held May 2-6.

That's my birthday week people, so cut me some slack. 

Well, time to stop make excuses for why my Miss Tiffany's post is popping up on the blog in late July and get to it.  The envelope please..

The winner of Miss Tiffany's Universe 2011 is 10 year old Sirapasson “Sammy” Atthayakorn, a third year student at the Faculty of Humanities, Ramkhamhaeng University.  She won the diamond studded tiara, 120,000 baht ($4014 USD).  a Toyota Yaris car and use of a luxury pattaya apartment for a year.

The first runner-up was 23-year-old student Saranrat “Nat” Chaiyakorn, took home 100,000 baht ($3345 USD) while second runner-up, Tissanamadi “Gigi” Bunniyom, won 20,000 baht. ($670 USD)

The Miss Tiffany's Universe is the Thai-only trans pageant in which the finals night is not only televised live on Thai television, it chooses the person who will represent Thailand at the Miss International Queen Pageant.

That pageant like the Miss Tiffany's Universe one is also sponsored by Tiffany's Cabaret and opened to the rest of the world's transwomen. 

And oh yeah, the winner and runners-up of Miss Tiffany Universe as you noticed get cash and prizes.. In addition to Sammy getting the diamond studded crown and the cash and prize package, she will represent Thailand in the upcoming Miss International Queen pageant scheduled to take place November 4.   

We'll find out in a few months if Sammy has what it takes to bring the Miss International Queen crown back to Thailand after being captured by Japanese and Korean winners the last two years.  

The Trans Flight Attendants Of PC Air

Remember when I wrote about the Thai startup airline that garnered lots of media attention by planning to hire trans flight attendants?    Thought it was time for an update on the story and the airline that was supposed to be starting service to Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, China and South Korea in March.

PC Air has a web page up but has yet to make their flight schedule public.

According to various news reports there were 100 Thai transwomen who applied for the flight attendant jobs and four were hired.

The four ladies chosen were Nathatai Sukkaset, 26, Dissanai Chitpraphachin, 24, Chayathisa Nakmai, 24 and Phuntakarn Sringern, 24.    One of the interesting footnotes in this initial class of trans flight attendants is that Dissanai is a 2007 Miss Tiffany's titleholder.

PC Air's Peter Chan is quoted as saying he will hire more trans flight attendants, but he might want to concentrate on getting his airline up and flying first and making money .  

Those pictures are of the hair and makeup training sessions for the PC Air flight attendants.    Will keep an eye on this ongoing story to see if PC Air ever takes off from Bangkok to any of the Asian destinations they wish to serve with our Thai transsisters providing quality customer service along the way.

Thailand's Got Talent Trans Singer

If we're given a chance, we trans people can do anything we set our minds to do and excel at it.    Here's the latest example of at trans singer competing on Thailand's Got Talent.

The song starts at the 1:04 mark.

New Thai Airline Hiring Trans Flight Attendants

PC Air is not flying yet and hopes to be doing so across Asia by April, but when it does take to the friendly skies it will have transwomen in its flight attendant ranks.

The initial PC Air crews will have three transsexuals, 17 women, and 10 men in their ranks.


'Our initial quota was set at three transsexuals, but we will consider taking more in the future depending on their qualifications,' a PC Air spokeswoman said.

One thing that does concern me is that according to that same spokeswoman, the trans attendants will wear a special gold-colored "third-sex" name tag to help passengers and immigration authorities know what gender they are dealing with. 

That special tag could potentially open them up to discrimination as well..


Peter Chan, the president of PC Air stated recently that the recruitment of trans women in the "Land of Smiles' would continue.   His company's recruitment of transwomen was motivated by a belief in equal rights and complaints by Thai transwomen about the employment discrimination they face. 

"I think these people can have many careers, not just in the entertainment business, and many of them have a dream to be an air hostess. I just made their dream come true," he said.

Over 100 Thai transwomen applied for the jobs including 2007 Miss Tiffany winner Thanyarat "Film" Jiraphatpakorn, who was successful in garnering one of the three flight attendant jobs slotted for transwomen.


The airline is not requiring candidates to have gone through genital surgical procedures.   PC Air only desires that they meet job criteria that include language skills and good service.

"When it's their dream job or the job they love, they can do it even better," Chan said.  "Our society has changed -- it's evolution. I'm a pioneer, and I'm sure there will be (other) organizations following my idea."

We can only hope and pray other air carriers will follow your lead as well Mr. Chan, and may you have much success when your airline does start up its charter flights.