A well-known transgender-female model complained to the National Human Rights Commission Monday that he was denied entry to a popular club at Royal City Avenue, one of Bangkok’s top night-entertainment venues, due to his sexual identity.
Published: 9/02/2015 at 09:00 PM
A well-known transgender-female model complained to the National Human Rights Commission Monday that he was denied entry to a popular club at Royal City Avenue, one of Bangkok’s top night-entertainment venues, due to his sexual identity.
The petition was filed with NHRC chairwoman Amara Pongsapich by Nijshanaaj Sudlarphaar, better known as Sarina Thai, the first Thai transgender model to showcase his talents on the international fashion scene, including at New York Fashion Week.
Sarina said he and three foreign friends went to the Onyx club at RCA on Rama 9 Road on Jan 1 around midnight to celebrate New Year’s. A club security guard asked to check identification cards of his friends and allowed them to enter. But Sarina was told: “You can’t enter because you are sao praphet song” — a woman of the second category; in other words, a transvestite.
The tearful model said the staff’s remark made him feel sorry, embarrassed and considered it an insult to his dignity.
Sarina said his foreign friends also felt sorry for him and questioned why a Thai person should be refused entry into a Thai night club.
Sarina said he complained to the human-rights commissioner to protest transgender discrimination and urge society to change attitudes and support transgender equality.
Sarina, who openly supports the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, was accompanied by Ronnapoom Samakkhi-arom, a Thammasat University lecturer and president of the Thai Transgender Alliance.
Mr Ronnapoom said the club denial was a violation of consumer rights protected under Section 4 of the interim charter dealing with human-rights principles.
He said there were currently many night-entertainment venues in Bangkok and other provinces denying services for transsexual people. Some operators in Pattaya and Phuket even installed a sign banning three “prohibited items” – dogs, durian and kathoeys (transvestites or transgenders) from entering their premises.
He said security guards at those clubs often claimed that the ban was their management’s policy or because they were thieves or sex workers scouting for customers and victims.
Mr Ronnapoom urged bar and club operators not to stereotype all transgender people with such negative attitudes.
He believed the situation would improve once Thailand’s first anti-gender discrimination bill was promulgated. The legislation passed its first reading in the National Legislative Assembly in December and carried both fines and prison sentences for violators.
Commissioner Taejing Siripanich said the agency would invite executives of the club for an inquiry.
