New uniform rules for LGBT students
Our monthly round-up of LGBT news from around the world
STANDARD PROCEDURE
One issue that can never fade from LGBT-related discussions in Thailand is uniforms.
Each year, we’d hear transgender students lament the unyielding university’s rules requiring them to wear gender-specific uniforms based on their sex at birth, rather than their gender identity. We’d hear of disappointment, and of triumph when some universities choose to grant a student’s request, though mostly on a case-by-case basis.
But transgender students at Thaksin University in Songkhla province need not file requests anymore, as the university recently released a formal uniform guideline for those with gender dysphoria.
It’s now made clear, as per the dean’s order, that students can now wear their chosen gender-specific uniform to attend class, examination and internships so long as they do so neatly and orderly. The graduates also have a right to wear a uniform that suits their gender identity for graduation.
While this shift in uniform rules is a milestone on its own, the university’s governing body has gone a step further by stating that discrimination against LGBT students is unacceptable, and that bullying, insulting, defaming and threatening based on a person’s gender identity will not be tolerated. The guideline also asks staff members to always take into consideration human rights, freedom and gender equality in their treatment toward the students.
Thaksin University’s announcement has been met with approval and joy from both gender activists and students. Releasing a standardised rule would hopefully lead to standardised practise, and we have to commend the university for respecting and protecting the rights of its students. It’s an accomplishment for Thai educational institutes, and we hope the university now sets an example for others to follow, so that students everywhere can express their gender identity with confidence and dignity, without fearing repercussions.
TEEN EDUCATION
Teen Vogue raised eyebrows this month when it published an article teaching teen readers the birds and bees about anal sex.
Gigi Engle’s article “Anal Sex: What You Need to Know” addresses everything from how to ask one’s partner to how to initiate the act to the need for lubricant. The article is accompanied by pink diagrams of male and female sex organs.
Engle, also a sex educator, called her work an “anal 101, for teens, beginners, and all inquisitive folk”.
We rarely see a topic concerning sex education that would address or target homosexual teens. With no proper instruction or even advice, these teens are left exploring on their own, relying on pornography and other dubious online help to find their way around the issue.
It’s a brazen move by Teen Vogue to feature such article, and we commend them for using their platform to open up a space for the sex education of LGBT teens.
The magazine has also featured articles on topics such as gender fluidity and coming out.
Admittedly, this is a positive move. While Engle’s article is educational, as well as encouraging of safe sex, it has caused some outrage among the public.
Pro-lifer, Christian mum and vlogger Elizabeth Johnston — calling herself the Activist Mommy — is one parent who’s very much against Engle’s work. She has been campaigning for the magazine to be pulled from shelves, as well as trying to get advertisers to stop supporting Teen Vogue. She condemned the magazine for preaching to kids between the ages of 11 and 17 how to be “safely sodomised”.
“We shouldn’t be teaching children, period, how to have sex,” stated Johnston in her video. She later tore the magazine’s pages out and threw them into a bonfire.
There are two things we need to discuss here: the necessity of sex education and the inclusion of contents to suit LGBT students.
As per Johnston’s belief, is it really better not to give kids information? Is it so devilish for younger generations to be able to make an informed choice regarding their own bodies? Would it be right if we let kids engage in sexual activity without knowledge and caution?
Proper sex education is needed for young people to be aware of unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and how to prevent them. Of course, the lesson is considered as controversial in certain conservative circles, where it’s believed that teaching kids about sex encourages them to have untimely sex. Hence, formal sex education is limited in some parts of the world. For Thais, sex education is a topic most people can’t comfortably even discuss. Our teen pregnancy rate is among the highest globally. We don’t have to look hard for correlation.
Another concern is that, even in classes where sex is taught, the content rarely touches on homosexuality. When some Thai textbooks still brand homosexual and transgender people as sexual deviants, where do LGBT students turn?
We need to change. We need to arm teenagers with correct, updated and non-discriminatory information. Why leave them in the dark when we can watch over them in the light? It’s the best prevention of the problem.
WHAT’S ON
Aug 2, 9.40pm — Tune into GMM25 for Miss Tiffany’s: The Reality, a weekly show to accompany the 20th anniversary of Miss Tiffany’s Universe beauty pageant for Thai transgender women. The show will lay out the behind-the-scenes journeys of aspiring beauty queens, with special guests such as top model Cindy Bishop and Tiffany’s alum Poyd Treechada serving as coaches. The final round will be held on Aug 25, 8pm, at the Tiffany’s Show Theatre in Pattaya. The winner will go on to compete for the title of Miss International Queen — the world’s largest beauty pageant for transgender women — to be held in March 2018.
Visit www.facebook.com/MissTiffanyUniverse.
Aug 23, 1pm — Head to Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University in Nonthaburi province for a free seminar on the topic of equal rights and marriage discrimination. The talk will feature specialists in the fields of law and gender, as well as representatives from the state. Also on the panel is human-rights activist Angkhana Neelapaijit from the National Human Rights Commission.
For reservations, call 092-256-2711.
Contact melalinm@bangkokpost.co.th for news and views on LGBT.