Violence, harassment and being subjected to public stigmatisation are just some of a long list of violations shown towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people that continue to go unaddressed in our image-conscious society.
Deep-rooted prejudice against them undermines the integrity and dignity of those subjected to these abuses, which in extreme cases include murder and rape.
According to Princess Sirindhorn Anthropology Center researcher Dr Narupon Duangwises, who has studied the changing lifestyle of LGBT groups in Thailand for a decade, gender-based violence in Thai society is often driven by a need to punish those seen as challenging gender norms.
He attributes this mindset to a rise in homophobic and transgender-phobic crimes, some of which don't always get front-page coverage.
"The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, which recognises the Yogyakarta Principles that address a broad range of human rights standards and their application towards issues of sexual orientations, stated that everyone regardless of their sexual preference is empowered to exercise their basic rights as human beings," the gay activist said.
"However, this is practiced more in theory. Homophobic bullying is common in society. While in public, it might seem LGBT people have the freedom to express their sexual orientation, prejudiced attitudes towards them abound, and is found in schools and in the workplace."
"Society in general acknowledges gay and transgender [people]. Few [parents], however, accept their son or daughter to be anything but heterosexual. Activists from the Thailand LGBT movement have only seriously gotten together since early 2000, campaigning for justice to be served in human rights violations against them."
The activists and researchers have teamed up to educate gay and lesbian communities on their basic rights, but Dr Narupon singled out a vibrant urban gay consumer culture as the biggest obstacle standing in their way.
Since the early 1980s, he said, there has been a sharp rise in entertainment areas catering to the queer crowd, and gay-themed magazines are available on supermarket shelves.
Researcher Dr Narupon Duangwises says society needs a change in attitude towards LGBT people.
This open environment may give LGBT people a false impression that all is well, so they might not see the urgency to object when their rights are infringed upon due to their sexual orientation.
Due to their outward appearance, Dr Nurapon said transgender women are regularly subjected to verbal and physical abuse and it has become common practice in Thai society to make fun of them.
The academic believes campaigns to eradicate acts of violence and affiliated human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity should be made a priority at government level.
He added that according to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, murders of lesbians and gender-variant women since 2006 have been dismissed by officials as love gone wrong or crimes of passion.
Unfortunately, Thailand does not have a hate crime legislation, or legal provisions to safeguard anyone facing discrimination based on these grounds.
In Dr Nurapon's opinion, many of these homicides should be investigated as hate crimes.
Veteran gender rights activist Anjana Suvarnananda, founder of the lesbian group Anjaree, said violence and discrimination against members of LGBT communities is not a new phenomenon in Thai society.
''Anjaree was set up because there are many lesbians and tomboys who are experiencing different forms of discrimination and abuse in their communities,'' said Anjana.
''The group helps to address these issues through campaigning and discourse. The founding members of Anjaree know all too well what it means to be treated with disdain because of one's sexual preference. That is why we are very passionate in trying to make a difference in society.''
Anjana, who came out at the age of 24, said no matter how rosy things might seem on the outside, Thai society still does not accept LGBT people as being equal to their heterosexual counterparts.
Representing one of many tom and dee couples that continue to be stigmatised in Thai society.
She said several campaigns are in the works to push for justice for people who have been wronged, and to ensure basic human rights. At the forefront of these are anti-violence campaigns, campaigns addressing hate crimes (such as the murder of a tom in Trat province), and developing legal recognition of unions.
Of equal importance is the legal recognition of gender identities and the fight against stigmatisation and discrimination. LGBT people often face considerable outside pressure to conform to a heterosexual society, said 54-year-old Anjana. From what she has observed, parents often object to their lesbian daughter's decision to come out.
Psychological blackmail can be used to pressure the daughter to leave her female partner for a man so she will eventually get married and start a family. Some young women are so traumatised by their guardians that they run away, fall into depression or become suicidal.
She advises parents to be more understanding in their approach towards their lesbian and gay children, because family pressure can lead to devastating results for the often already emotional youngsters.
The veteran activist feels passionately about putting a stop to LGBT-related hate crimes. '
'Society should not be able to dictate who one's object of affection should be,'' she said. Anjana adds that some teachers do not make the lives of students who don't fit in the straight status quo any easier. ''Apart from teachers discouraging close relationships between girls, textbooks on health in Thai schools to this day teach students that homosexuality is a mental disorder, and that students should stay clear of lesbians and gays.'' Although the Western medical world stopped classifying homosexuality as an illness in the 1970s, the impact of the past still permeates people's views of sexuality.
''Just imagine how a teenage girl would feel if she was made to believe that the feelings of attraction she was developing towards a fellow female student was deemed a sickness, and that this teaching was being studied by her peers,'' said the gender rights activist.
Gay men, like their lesbian counterparts, are often pressured into a heterosexual lifestyle by their families and by society.
From what Anjana has found, shame and guilt are strong emotions that most of these teens experience, so it doesn't come as a surprise that students suspected of being lesbian are often withdrawn and timid. This is a pattern that tends to continue into an emotionally troubled adult life.
Often introverted, these people can feel under immense pressure to hide their true sexual identity due to reasons such as a lack of opportunities for job promotion or a lack of social acceptance.
Anjana and Narupon regularly see the heartache of lesbians and gay men who are persuaded to live the life of a heterosexual person. The two factors that largely contribute to their decision to marry the opposite sex are pressure from society and pressure from their family. These forced unions often result in unhappy and loveless marriages.
Anjana gathered this information from the trials of many lesbians who are members of the Anjaree group.
''I have heard about their struggles in great detail. Some had to make tough decisions to leave their marriage, and now live the life they want. [But] these women may not be allowed to see their children or are left to fend for themselves and their offspring alone,'' she said.
''Women who, for personal reasons, decide not to leave the marriage are often left in a state of limbo. Many make this sacrifice so they can be close to their children, while others do so to [avoid] disappointing their parents, who often push them to marry and would not like to see them be the one to break up the marriage.
''It is amazing how many of these women give up the life they would have liked to have for the sake of their parents' happiness and society's approval and acceptance. Even if they are bisexual, they are under constant pressure from their parents and society to be heterosexual,'' Anjana said.
The spirited human rights campaigner adds that the existence of LGBT communities holds little meaning in the eyes of policymakers and government, and business service providers. There are currently no medical or social services catering for this group _ not even LGBT teen counselling. Anjana and Dr Narupon agreed the media can play a key role in changing misconceptions and negative attitudes towards LGBT people.
''We hope that in the coming months and years, the media will showcase the lives of toms, dees, lesbians, transgender and gays so they can become proud and equal members of society,'' said Anjana.
DISTURBING TREND
CASE 1: Nurisan Chedurame, a native of Pattani province, was described by friends and family as a tomboy. Late last year, the 24-year-old's body was found near a village garbage dump with her head crushed. The murder weapon, reportedly an 8cm club, was found at the crime scene. Police suspect that she was killed because she was sexually involved with women.
CASE 2: A homicide case in Trat province last year was no different. A tomboy was murdered by her girlfriend's former boyfriend. The family of the girlfriend objected to the relationship, and despite threats against the tomboy they had been unsuccessful in dissuading the lovebirds from continuing the courtship. The mother of the girlfriend is reported to have masterminded the murder, promising to marry off her daughter to the ex-boyfriend who perpetrated the murder.
CASE 3: Last year in Samut Sakhon province, two women involved in a same-sex relationship were found
executed in a rice field. One, tomboyish and unnamed, was shot four times in the head, while her 17-year-old partner, also unnamed, was shot twice in the head. Police speculated the execution-style killings were the result of a love affair gone sour.
CASE 4: Another case with apparent homophobic overtones leading to a job dismissal involves Phitsanu "Nuno" Khosaphokin, an operations manager at a high-end luxury hotel-cum-apartment. He had been in the job five years when he was unceremoniously fired by his superiors who cited his homosexuality and deviant behaviour as reasons for dismissal. Nuno has taken his employers to court. He is awaiting the verdict and has demanded an apology from his employers.
Lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people come from all walks of life.
