Power of young voices

Colourful papers and crayons scatter the floor as children scribble away on cardboard. Scissors meticulously cut paper into letters, and slowly messages are formed on the waiting cardboard, advocating for society to embrace diversity, promote marriage equality and tear down harmful gender binary.

Participants and their finished campaign posters. SAVE THE CHILDREN

On the first Saturday of this month, a group of children and youths gathered at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre to join Youth Pride -- an open and safe space where they connected and exchanged ideas about LGBTI rights. The event has been held for two consecutive years in conjunction with Bangkok Pride and was co-organised by Tomorrow's Leader, Young Pride, Isaan Gender Diversity Network, Save the Children Thailand and a network of LGBTI youth among others.

The day began with the young attendees divided into groups to discuss issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) that directly impact them. In the afternoon, they took key messages from their discussion to craft campaign posters to be used at Bangkok Pride the following day.

One of the participants, 17-year-old Tonkoon (all pronouns), represented Child Rights Youth Activists Lanna and created a poster with the message, "Whether having short or long hair, a queen is still a queen".

Tonkoon has been calling for freedom in hairstyle choice at their school in Fang district, Chiang Mai. A survey was conducted with students, teachers and parents to reach a consensus. However, they were unable to convince the school director, who refused change. Tonkoon wishes adults would understand children's feelings more.

The Youth Pride event was Tonkoon's first time participating in an LGBTI event.

"It's fun. It's a new experience for me. I'm from a rural area so there aren't always activities or events available to us. Here, I feel like I can be myself," Tonkoon said.

Nachale Boonyapisomparn, an activist and representative of the Youth Pride organising team, opined that issues which specifically affect young people do not always get discussed and communicated widely in the movement for LGBTI rights.

"Things like family or school, or hairstyle and clothes, don't concern adults as much since adults can mostly dress as they want. They have already gotten out of that binary education system.

"However, youths still have to face these issues every day, and it negatively impacts their mental and physical health, as well as their confidence," Nachale said.

"So, for this event, I hope we get to learn about issues that really belong to young people -- something that goes beyond the general issues everyone thinks of when it comes to LGBTI people, like marriage equality or gender-neutral restrooms."

Based on the children and youth's group discussion, it was revealed that some of the problems they are facing include outdated sex education in schools, bullying, lack of access to free sanitary pads, limited safe space to express themselves, unsupportive parents and teachers, and more. Looking around the room, these concerns were reflected in the messages they expressed through their artwork.

However, 19-year-old Thanyaboon Thipparak, another Youth Pride participant, had a different approach. Instead of creating posters, her chosen art form was molam music -- the traditional sound of Isan.

Hailing from Roi Et province, Thanyaboon is the founder of Feminist Banteungsilp -- a molam group fusing entertainment with activism. Thanyaboon started participating in political protests around three years ago before joining a feminist group where she learned more about LGBTI rights, gender equality and marginalised populations. She established Feminist Banteungsilp to advocate for marriage equality and the rights of "forgotten occupations" such as showgirls, sex workers and musicians. The group has about 40 members, both hired and volunteers.

"At first, I organised a panel discussion, but nobody listened. So now I say things through music to get the message across," said Thanyaboon. She further mentioned that the group gets hired more during Pride Month. However, in other periods, they struggle to get bookings as some locals and even authorities are suspicious of the word feminist, worrying that they might stage a protest instead of singing.

The molam performer sang a few songs at Youth Pride. The following day, she joined the Bangkok Pride organiser and members of LGBTI communities to deliver a speech on stage at CentralWorld following the parade.

When asked why she thinks many young people have engaged in activism in recent years, Thanyaboon replied that they want change in the country.

"Every child knows what's going on in the country," she said. "As a youth, I'm unemployed and I've never gotten any support from this government. Having young people raise their voices is a good thing so that the government understands what should and shouldn't be done. Right now, they're not listening at all. They use bullets and tear gas against children and youths. I disagree with violence. Violence is not the solution. Listening is."

In the past few years, it's undeniable that the active participation of children and youths in LGBTI activism, as well as in other social and political issues, has increased. The series of protests that broke out in 2020 have ignited the generation's interest, passion and awareness of their own rights, which cannot be diminished any more.

"If we view society as a child's ecological system, then any changes -- whether positive or negative -- ultimately impact them," said Peeranee Suparak, SOGIESC and child rights expert and project co-ordinator at Save the Children Thailand.

"Naturally, children and youth want to be part of the movement, and I think their participation will continue to grow as the power of their voice continues to be heard."

Peeranee added that while the space for activism may be expanding, not all children can access it, especially for those with intersectional identities such as LGBTI who are also stateless or have disabilities.

The power imbalance between children and adults is also something to be cautious of.

"As adults, if you have that seat at the table, make sure that you bring children's voices to it. The seniority system in our society makes it easy for adults to jump in and start thinking for children. So we should make sure we listen without imposing our own judgement or exerting power over them."

In moving forward with child and youth participation in the movement, Peeranee emphasised that inclusion will be key. It's also important to recognise that, although the actions of young people may seem small and unimpactful today, every effort still matters.

"It's not always about staging large-scale movements but rather about planting seeds that will eventually blossom, whether it will be tomorrow or even a decade from now. Every child has the power, and we have to support them to continue raising their voice," she said.