Trans people 'still lack protection'

Absence reflects deep-rooted prejudice, writes Poramet Tangsathaporn

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Following the brutal killing of a Thai transgender woman by a Chinese national in Pattaya last week, LGBTQ+ advocacy groups across Thailand are calling for urgent legal reforms to protect transgender individuals from hate crimes.

The suspect, 42-year-old Fu Tong-yung, allegedly murdered the victim after she refused his request for sex.

The incident has sent shockwaves through Thailand's LGBTQ+ community and reignited calls for better protections against violence motivated by gender identity.

Trans Pride Thailand, a civil society group, condemned the murder as a hate crime and a reflection of deep-rooted structural violence against transgender people.

"This tragedy is not an isolated incident — it reflects the systemic violence that transgender individuals face every day," it read.

"Despite Thailand's reputation for tolerance, we still lack legal protections against discrimination, violence, and hate crimes targeting transgender people."

In its Trans Murder Monitoring 2024, Transgender Europe, an NGO, found 350 transgender and gender-diverse people were murdered globally between October 2023 and September 2024 — the highest number recorded since monitoring began in 2008.