“People should have [that] freedom to change sex and they should be equally protected by the Constitution and the law and treated fairly.”
Third gender means that an individual does not have to identify as either male or female, and gives their right to self-identify.
If enacted, Thailand would join several Asian countries, including India, Pakistan and Nepal, that have recently moved to recognize third gender.
This week, the Constitution Drafting Committee, a panel tapped by the current Thai military junta, started work on a new draft. The junta, which calls itself the National Council for Peace and Order, took power in May after a military coup.
–
Even as transgender people are no longer forced to conform to specific genders in certain countries, they are still denied acceptance in many societies. Same-sex marriage remains illegal in countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
And Thailand does not have plans to legalize same sex marriages in its constitution, said Sittisamarn.
READ: Legally invisible no more?
