How Common is LGBT Workplace Discrimination in Thailand?

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people all over the world face numerous challenges, unfortunately. Among them, working in a certain place according to a normal process is a leading challenge 👨‍🎓 LGBT people in many workplaces are still limited and discriminated against. This is a barrier to getting at a job and continuing work. So, it is a situation that must be solved for equality 👩‍🎓

Thailand is a perfect country for the LGBT community as it's one of the best destinations for them in Asia. However, economically more progressive countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, do not have as high a social welcome of LGBT people as Thailand. So we must respect the country's advanced qualities and respectful rights 👨‍🎓

Indeed, on this issue, Thai society offers a lesson in humanity to the rest of the world. So, today let's see how friendly Thailand is for the LGBT community in their workplace and whether there is any discrimination against them 👩‍🎓

LGBT Workplace Discrimination 

LGBT communities in the world are facing significant discrimination in employment. As a result, for LGBT job-seekers, the companies’ opinion becomes a notable drawback 👨‍🎓 Therefore, numerous LGBT employees suffer depression, stress, and frustration because of job discrimination and excessive treatment.

Most LGBT job-seekers see job advertisements that especially exclude their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. As a result, they question their sexuality and personal lives during job interviews 👩‍🎓

LGBT staff is also more likely to be prohibited from higher status and higher-paying jobs than non-LGBT staff. Either because they are not hired for these jobs in the first place or they are rejected for professional improvement. 

Several LGBT people worldwide have battled unfair, discriminatory, and biased treatment based on non-normative gender identities, unlike heterosexual co-workers 👨‍🎓 For example, ridicule, harassment, unfair treatment, and, regrettably, physical violence. 

🏳️‍🌈 Quick Trivia! 

It has been launched that there’s a good improvement for Thai LGBT people in every attitude of life containing their career rather than other developing and middle-income countries in the world.

LGBT Workplace Discrimination Status in Thailand

Acceptance of LGBT in Thai society is now in an improving era. The changing thoughts are making LGBT people play an enormous role and be able to indicate themselves freely in Thai society. Furthermore, unlike some neighboring regions, Thailand has no specific law against homosexuality, and transgender people can convey their identity publicly without fear of persecution 👩‍🎓

In addition, Thailand is a tolerant country regarding gender diversity. It welcomes all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender individuals, and non-binary, among others. As a result, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok) is always one of the few Asian cities encompassed on lists of gay-friendly tourist destinations, accommodations, and workplaces worldwide. In addition, the country is well-known for its reasonable and good-quality gender reassignment operations.

Thailand is close to upholding same-sex civil partnerships and has a thriving LGBT community. Moreover, it shows off hospital services adapted to LGBT patients. Big Thai companies even offer medical leave for gender reassignment surgery. But that doesn’t mean Thailand certainly develops a 100% safe atmosphere for LGBT workers to work normally, just like the other workers in the country. Thailand still has a little difficult relationship with some of those communities. 

But compared to other countries, discrimination here is very low as updates on LGBT-related things quickly arise, and people understand things 👨‍🎓 So, discrimination is minimal. Thailand's LGBTs have a better working environment except for the minimum number of problems faced by LGBT people worldwide.

Thailand has taken a big step in protecting LGBT people from discrimination. The Gender Equality Act came into effect, signaling an extensive future for the country’s legal treatment of LGBT people 👩‍🎓 It is the first national legislation in Southeast Asia to protect against discrimination on gender expression specifically.

The new law restricts any means of discrimination if someone is different from their sex by birth, a crucial tool in keeping transgender people safe. But, of course, everyone is assigned a sex at birth. Still, not everyone proceeds to identify with that label throughout their lives. Such an evolution of identity should not affect an individual’s full enjoyment of their rights.

Are There Thai Workplaces Unwelcoming to LGBT?

In the past, most transgender women worked in the beauty industry, entertainment, sex, or cabaret shows. Therefore, it is hard for them to start other careers in Thailand 👨‍🎓 The main issue is some employers believe that LGBT people are more emotional, less responsible, and less respected. 

But now, transformations may be coming rapidly. The Thai government has studied the probability of upholding the law to recognize transgender individuals for more than a year.  As mentioned earlier, Thailand’s Gender Equality Act came into effect, signaling an extensive future for the country’s legal treatment of LGBT people 👨‍🎓

Today’s Thailand is one where people can work freely and prominently as an LGBT utopia, and numerous LGBT individuals tend to be more visible in urban settings than rural ones.

National Laws and Policies about LGBT Workers' Rights 

In 2018, three years after the enactment of the Gender Equality Act, the Thai government kicked off its gender equality program by formulating and beginning the approaches for equality and excluding unfair discrimination between genders 👨‍🎓I As a sign of this Act, to preserve and protect LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace, Thailand currently corresponds with the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.

They have numerous fair measures to support and protect LGBT people in the workplace. For example, impartial employment, promotion, discrimination, petition, amelioration, etc. 👩‍🎓 Thailand is currently recognized as the first Asian country to formally support LGBT rights in the workplace through the implementation of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.

By all means, LGBT rights advancement in Thailand is being optimistically gained and recognized. As lately, the Thailand Ministry of Justice has been in the procedure of making the Anti-Discrimination Bill draft 👨‍🎓 This Bill will be important to LGBT people in Thailand since it will help determine the inequitable problems arising with LGBT people in Thai society. 

However, employment is very significant to every life. Having a job, making money, and access to resources are vital to benefit oneself 👩‍🎓 Still, if a person is judged to be unemployed with gender, it would be a great offense that one faces during their lifetime. So, Thailand appreciates that and has taken critical steps to avoid such incidents.

LGBT-Friendly Workplace Concepts  

LGBT+ inclusion is critical for ensuring everyone stands safe and satisfied in bringing their whole people to work. Its inclusion in the workplace is fast becoming an emphasis for organizations of all sizes across the country 👨‍🎓

Thailand ensures that employees of all sexualities and gender manners feel safe and valid, though it is the primary reason. LGBT-inclusive workplaces benefit businesses, too, in terms of productivity and profitability. This indicates averting costs from stress and ill-health associated with LGBT+ staff who need to hide their identity at work or experience discrimination 👩‍🎓

Provide LGBT+ Training

Offering LGBT+ training in the workplace as part of equality and diversity training is an important way to inform everyone about LGBT+ issues. In addition, training helps to confirm the policies are learned and understood across the organization. And also it helps to destroy the myths and misunderstandings about LGBT workers while improving the cooperation between the employees 👨‍🎓

Changing the Pronouns

Adding pronouns in email signatures, on social media profiles, and noting them in meetings has become more widespread in business and the world. Simply stating the pronouns (she/her, he/him, they/them, or a mixture of pronouns, such as she/they or he/they) has become a way for everyone to normalize, not inferring someone's gender 👩‍🎓 Additionally, when everyone gets into the habit of expressing their pronouns, this helps trans and non-binary people feel safer stating theirs.

Create Unisex Toilets and Uniforms 

There should be a gender-neutral bathroom option rather than furnishing singular toilets whenever possible. Unisex bathrooms are more inclusive for non-binary people who don't identify within the gender binary that single-sex restrooms uphold 👨‍🎓 Beyond this, unisex toilets are also cheaper to build and considerably reduce waiting times for women.

As well as a major problem faced by LGBT workers is gender-classified uniforms. It's better to provide a unisex uniform, as most employers in Thailand do 👩‍🎓

Celebrate LGBT+ History and Events

Celebrating LGBT+ History Month, Pride, or Trans Day of Visibility just as the other significant days in the calendar 👨‍🎓 This will greatly boost LGBT+ awareness and inclusion throughout the year.

They use these dates and milestones as learning opportunities for all staff. Implicate LGBT+ and non-LGBT+ employees and celebrate important days and events to spread attention to the policies continuously 👩‍🎓

🏳️‍🌈 LGBT Vocabulary Time! 

Boost
: help or encourage (something) to increase or improve

Discrimination
: unfair or unequal treatment of individuals or groups based on certain characteristics such as race, age, sex, disability, religion, or sexual orientation; It involves treating people differently or denying them opportunities, rights, or privileges based on these characteristics

Harassment
: behaviors that annoy or upset someone

Legislation
: laws considered collectively

Non-Normative
: not based on a norm