Though Thailand has a reputation of being accepting of the LGBTQI+ community, legal rights haven't been extended, with existing discrimination and the almost daily fight to be treated as equals continuing. To commemorate Transgender Day of Visibility, a day dedicated to recognising the resilience and accomplishments of the transgender community, which is on March 31, Guru speaks with trans individuals about navigating their lives in the professional world.
Koko Tiamsai
Koko Tiamsai graduated as a Chevening scholar from SOAS University, majoring in gender studies. She soon got a job at Asia Foundation, an international development agency, as a policy researcher, focusing on inequality and education reform. Currently she is an internal communications, diversity and inclusion senior specialist at Foodpanda Thailand. Koko deals with 1,200 employees all Thailand through all types of communication channels; be it written memos, via emails, town hall meetings and press statements. Her job is to work on education, raise awareness about diversity and to organise training programmes to promote a diverse workplace and culture. She also implements structural change by reviewing policies to see if they comply with equality.
Have you ever been discriminated against?
I've always worked in the private sector and at one job, I worked in communications. One of my duties was to be a keynote speaker at events. At one event, the managing and human resource directors asked me not to speak because I was a trans person. They said it looked unprofessional. It was then I realised that people still had biases and perceptions towards transgenders in a professional setting.
What makes who you are today?
I'd use these two words, 'grit' and 'resilience', these qualities brought me here today. Before I got here, I was out for work for two to three years before studying in England. I sent my CV to hundreds of places without a callback. When they did call, the many questions asked conveyed biases, such as, 'Because you're trans, will you lose your temper with clients or co-workers?'. I got through all of that with my resilience, grit and endurance. I just need to prove them wrong and prove all the biases that they have are wrong. I think it's hard work because it's us fighting against antiquated beliefs and norms in society.
What needs to be done for more trans-visibility and rights?
I think we shouldn't tell trans people to be hardworking or to have grit or resilience, to begin with. I believe that visibility and rights for trans people should become civil rights, in the sense that they should have the same rights just as everyone. And to achieve this, the authorities working on this matter should get experts to write up policies that embrace gender minorities. Local leaders or policymakers should listen to the community more and hear their needs. I know that people will disagree with the trans movement and trans-visibility, maybe it's conservatism, but even though acceptance might not be 100%, tolerance should grow in society. This tolerance will come from us having strong legal protection and strong legal reinforcement so society will not cross the line and not discriminate against trans people simply because of their gender identity.
Trynh Phoraksa
At Mahidol University, Trynh Phoraksa is a full-time lecturer on criminology at the Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology. He teaches technical terms, theories and real-life applications to prevent criminal acts, analyse how people become criminals or the reason for each criminal act with an emphasis on the psychology of criminals. After graduating from the Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology at Thammasat University, Trynh became a police officer. With a feeling that he couldn't directly implement his interests in criminology and make changes in society, he decided to work for the Italian embassy as a minister counsellor (police liaison). Then he got a master's in criminology and criminal justice in England and returned to Thailand to pursue a doctorate.
Have you ever been discriminated against?
My appearance is thoroughly a man. If we're dealing with appearances alone, there's no problem, people deal with me as a man. Once there are titles involved, some people still make fun of it. A few have toilet humour, like, which restrooms I enter. Some don't know how to act around me or some make jokes about my transgenderism. For example, they say they'll get a guy to hit on me and see if it cures me. It's like the saying 'change a tom into a tur'. I feel that those people were raised with old-fashioned social rules. These topics are not discussed anymore in this day and age. At this point, when dealing with work, we only see people's competence because we don't use our genitals to work.
There was one instance where I applied to work at an all-girls school. They required me to wear a skirt, so I ripped up the application. They did that because they were afraid the kids would take transgenders as role models. But I think they forget that the kids spend more time at home than in school. This means that if they decide that the person at school is a better role model, there might be something going on there. The kids can distinguish who is a good role model or not for themselves.
What makes who you are today?
I don't stop and I don't take in the discrimination. Gender is not a factor that defines my success, but I try to make myself look good because I want to be a role model for the kids. I try to dress appropriately and carry myself in a good way. I let my success speak for itself. It might take time but it works to prove them wrong. When I was graduating, people asked me which uniform I would wear. I wasn't thinking about that at all, all I was thinking about was graduating. It's one of the reasons that pushed me to study hard and be outstanding.
What needs to be done for more trans-visibility and rights?
First, the social structure needs to change. We need legal support in the sense that it should be a human right regardless of gender. We should all have the same rights as citizens. There's still disparity even with the gender binary. For example, why do we give out free condoms when we don't give out free sanitary pads or tampons? Why do women have to be responsible for this when it's something they require? Why should it be their burden?
Second, both the government and private sector aren't supporting talents in the trans community enough. Or, when trans people try to make a name for themselves in foreign countries, they have to become successful on their own before the state takes notice and embraces them. I would like both the government and private sector to give a platform for trans people to show their capabilities. We need a more visible form of support.
Third, appreciate them all, especially the younger generation not only those who are famous. In schools or universities, members of the LGBT community may get bullied or be taken for granted. However, once they graduate and become successful, these places take credit for having had them as alumni. How were they treated as a student, though? This is something that I would like to raise awareness of.
And for the trans people, I would like to tell them to be confident but humble. Don't be a full glass of water. You will have to learn new things every day. I'm a professor, but sometimes I'm also a student because I always have to update my knowledge. Don't let anyone take your passion away from you. The best way to prove yourself is doing it, not saying it. Stick to your goals, do what you love, don't let anyone make you hesitate.
Nikki Phinyapincha
As a transwoman with various professional hats, Nikki Phinyapincha believes her journey has a special meaning for many others. Born in an underdeveloped area of Bangkok, Nikki wanted a different future for herself, so she dreamed of becoming a businesswoman and having financial stability. She worked her way up the ranks, with failure and success and soon found the right place to bloom and grow. Before she turned 30, Nikki became director of media relations and communications at Asialife Media (Thailand). With a background in branding communication and tourism, her career extends to different industries, including tourism, hospitality, high-value products and international trade. She's also the spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the Republic of Indonesia for Thailand and the Indochina market. She's also a DE&I (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) speaker, advocating for transgender professional leadership and for a trans-inclusive workplace for various organisations. She recently founded Transtalents, which aims at empowering trans people to thrive professionally and to know their potential as future leaders. She believes that nothing is impossible and so is also chair for APAC Pride Network for PRCA, the world's largest professional PR body representing more than 35,000 PR professionals in 82 countries. She also leads the Thailand chapter for the Asean Youth Advocates Network (AYAN). Most recently, she was awarded the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program (YSEALI PFP) 2022, sponsored by the US Government.
Have you ever been discriminated against?
Living as a transgendered person in Thai society is like a curse and still, I was told by family, media and society to hide who I am and to believe in false perceptions that a transgender's life would end in a tragedy. I was rejected, treated like an alien, marginalised and discriminated against from many opportunities.
Regarding discrimination in the workplace, research reveals that 77% of Thai transgender are rejected during the job application process because of their gender identity and expression, and I was one of them. Ten years ago, after I graduated with a master's degree on a scholarship from Switzerland, I started looking for a job with confidence. I had many rejections and when I called to find out why, the feedback I got was because I was trans and they didn't have policies to employ a transperson. Back then, the equality movement was languid and we didn't have role models in trans people in business or professional areas.
However, I never stopped trying and took risks because I wanted to become who and have what I wanted. I believed that life will bring me something till I got a job in the hospitality industry and still got severely discriminated against. My female boss did not allow me to wear skirts but pants only. She said that it was because when trans women wear skirts, they often wear them inappropriately. I was very disappointed, as it's not about skirts or pants but it's a matter of freedom, identity and how the society's value has been distorted by the reproduction of trans negative image. After a year of service, I wanted to rotate to explore HR and training functions in the same organisation. I got denied by a female HR director because of, again, being a trans is believed not to be credible enough to train others. This was the final straw and they lost me since I couldn't bear to work in an organisation that judged me on how I look rather than how I perform.
But every cloud has a silver lining, I found another job in my current company where I have exponentially grown. My first assignment was to lead a project with Malaysia Tourism. People may question if a transgender can work with people from a Muslim culture and I say: when you prove that you're a high-performing professional and treat people the way you want to be treated, it doesn't matter what gender you are. That's how I learnt and grew.
What is Transtalents?
Transtalents is my dream-turned-reality. I plan to establish the Transtalents Academy, which will provide resources and a professional network for transgenders to thrive professionally. We will provide different types of training and workshops not only for hard skills and soft skills but also for human skills. To become a talent, one needs to perform beyond average, one has to think differently. Currently, I also provide a no-nonsense consultant service for companies who want to penetrate the LGBTQI+ market segment or to embrace trans-inclusivity in the workplace. We help companies achieve their DE&I goals by providing strategic guidelines, tool kits, assessments, training, workshops on how a company could do it right to include and nurture a transgender in their workplace and hopefully to a decision-making level. Companies must learn that one-time training or one-month pride campaigns don't work, DE&I strategy is a long-term business driver.
What makes you who you are today?
Everyone has a dream, but a dream without work is nothing. That's why I dream big, start from small steps, focus, try, fail and learn to win. I work out clearly with myself about who and what I want to become and strongly believe that the purpose of my existence is to help make a difference in the lives of others. Fears, flaws and failures are purification and preparation for personal heroism. Talk or shout less but do more. Our dream or future starts now.
Transgenders can become who and what they want. Our potential is not limited by the stereotypical jobs that society has been labelling us with for so long. It's time to earn our space in society and become leaders to help drive our community and country's progress.
What needs to be done for more trans-visibility and rights?
Visibility is when you are seen and heard but what about how seriously you provide support, mechanism and journey for trans to thrive and lead their own lives? Most of the businesses talk about sustainable organisation. You must start with a sustainable workforce that values humans as humans first. Business is all about people, earning from people, run by people, growing for people, if you fail to attract, retain and sustain your diverse talents, your business is at high risk because you are not able to play the infinite game of the business.
Representation by trans at a decision-making table in a company is a must. It's not just something that is nice to have. Conversations about gender diversity in the workforce have focused only on men and women. It's time to start putting trans and diverse people into the agenda and at high management levels. I believe that there are many trans talents in the market so the company should play the fair game of recruitment. Let's be the door, not the wall.
There is a quote that says when a flower doesn't bloom, do we blame the flower or the environment? We need to check the environment, right? We check the light, air, water and soil. Transgenders are the flower. We need the environment to help us grow the way we're supposed to be growing. Then society can achieve inclusivity without leaving anyone behind. Thailand can really be the paradise of LGBTQI+ and not just market propaganda as it does today.
Panod Srinual
Panod "Toey" Srinual is the founder and executive director of GendersMatter, though she only graduated a year and a half ago. She decided to join the political protests as a speaker and representative for the LGBTQI+ community, speaking mainly about marriage equality. She wanted to make a lasting change in society, so she decided to work in gender by starting at Spectrum and found that most gender-related information in Thailand comes from foreign countries. This required proficiency in English and thus, reserved gender-related knowledge for a few groups of people. She moved to work at Transgender Health Access Thailand, in charge mainly of media. At the time, she also worked with the Progressive Movement and launched a biography Bun Tuk Katoey Isan (A Memoir of A Trans Woman In Northeast Thailand). She wanted to make an impact, so she founded GendersMatter.
Have you ever been discriminated against?
I've never really been discriminated against in the workplace because people who work in the places I've worked at having a heightened level of awareness, so they don't discriminate. But for a short time, I worked for a creative agency, and one of my colleagues said someone in the office wasn't comfortable working with me because she felt that I was a threat to her. I was stunned because how can an identity be threatening? If she were talking about how I spoke or acted, I would've been able to change that, but if it's my identity, I can't change anything about it. So, I asked how I was threatening. They said that women might feel belittled around transwomen because they are more outspoken or have more courage to dress up than them. So, do I need to stop talking or stop dressing up? I was baffled. I felt that was very much an instance of discrimination against trans people or LGBTQI+ people.
What is GendersMatter?
I found that when NGOs and social enterprises in Thailand raise an issue about gender, they do it quite hesitantly because they don't truly understand it. GendersMatter is a start-up company that aims to offer the correct information in the media for these establishments. We're a media outlet and we hold workshops on gender-related issues. We've recently launched a manual of medical transitioning for people who work with us. We try to give the most insightful and localised gender-related content because we want to show that gender-related movements don't only happen in foreign countries, it's happening here, as well.
What makes who you are today?
I'm very tough and resilient. No matter what I face and how I fail, I can bounce back. The thing that makes me who I am today boils down to experience. All my experiences, fair and unfair, have shaped me into becoming who I am. I think trans people or members of the LGBTQI+ community might have similar experiences. This similarity creates friction between us and the world that doesn't understand us. Some people can't develop resistance against it, but some can and they grow tough. I am aware of all the privileges I have, even if I grew up in the countryside. I have had issues with my intersexuality, but I grew up in a middle-class household and was given a quality education, which also gave me excellent connections. These things gave me choices in life. If I meet another transwoman in the same age range as me who feels like they can't go on with life, I wouldn't blame them because not everyone is born into the same conditions.
What needs to be done for more trans visibility and rights?
The first thing that people might not be aware of is the diversity rate in decision-making positions in companies. We have to admit that people who work at the management level must be genuinely competent, but are there only CIS males that are capable enough? Other genders can also be as skilful, but they don't get a chance to work on that level. It might be partly because of gender discrimination. To this day, there has been one female prime minister in Thailand. Do we truly believe that there are no other women who can run the country as well as men do? Research shows that the more diverse the management board is, the better the company will run. Each gender has its common problems, and they have different ways of dealing with the world and these problems. They each give different perspectives on certain things. It brings more inclusivity into the establishment. If there are more trans people in the decision-making positions or visible positions, it will lead to society accepting transgenders more. The more visibility there is, the more the community will understand that we're just ordinary people.
