Australia will assist in hosting two major LGBTQ+ events to promote gender equality in Thailand, shortly after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) 2022 summit in Bangkok from Nov 18-19.
During a recent press conference at the Australian embassy in Bangkok, the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) announced the two events will run from Nov 25-27 to promote awareness of LGBTQ+ inclusivity in Thai society.
The first will be the HERO Awards 2022 ceremony, co-hosted by the Australian embassy. This celebrates LGBTQ+ advocates in the Asia-Pacific region who have contributed significantly to improving the rights and health of these minority groups under 11 categories.
Australian ambassador, Angela Macdonald, said the embassy has long been collaborating with the APCOM Foundation in Bangkok, which prioritises HIV issues that affect the lives of gay and bisexual men. This year marks the foundation's 15th anniversary and the 70th year since Thailand and Australia established diplomatic ties.
"Australia is proud to host the 2022 HERO Awards at its embassy. This unique event does not only celebrate some extraordinary leadership from LGBTQI and HIV communities in the Asia-Pacific region, but also highlights some key challenges in terms of human rights, health, and wellbeing of these marginalised communities, that were made worse due to the Covid-19 pandemic -- and that we all need to support," she said.
The second event, co-organised by APCOM and civil society organisations, is Thailand Pride Festival 2022. Under the banner "Unity and Diversity", it will run from Nov 15-27 around Silom Road with the main event to be staged at Lumpini Park on Nov 27.
Nikorn Chimkong, founder of the Bangkok Rainbow Organisation and a key member of the event's organising committee, said this would be the second major Pride event of 2022 after similar parades were held in June.
"This marks the collaboration of a wide range of civil society organisations," he said.
