A well-known transgender-female model complained to the National Human Rights Commission Monday that she was denied entry to a popular club at Royal City Avenue, one of Bangkok’s top night-entertainment venues, due to her 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 her talents on the international fashion scene, including at New York Fashion Week.
Sarina said she 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 her 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.
The tearful model said the staff's remark made her feel embarrassed and she considered it an insult to her dignity.
Nijshanaaj Sudlarphaar, aka Sarina Thai (Bangkok Post photo)
Sarina said her foreign friends also felt sorry for her and questioned why a Thai person should be refused entry to a Thai night club.
Sarina said she complained to the human-rights commissioner, protesting about transgender discrimination, and urged society to change its attitudes and to 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's refusal of entry 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 carries both fines and prison sentences for violators.
Commissioner Taejing Siripanich said the agency would invite executives of the club in for talks.
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Note: The story was edited on February 10, 2015 to use the female pronouns "she" and "her" when referring to the model, at her request.