Tanwarin Sukkhapisit
Tanwarin Sukkhapisit (Thai: ธัญญ์วาริน สุขะพิสิษฐ์, RTGS: Thanwarin Sukkhaphisit, Thai pronunciation: [tʰān.wāː.rīn sùk.kʰà.pʰí.sìt]) is a Thai filmmaker and politician. In the 2019 Thai general election, they were elected to the Thai parliament representing the Future Forward Party. Tanwarin is a katoey, and became the first ever openly transgender member of parliament in Thailand's House of Representatives.[1][2][3][4][5]
In October 2020, the Constitutional Court of Thailand removed Sukkhapisit from power, finding them guilty of rules barring lawmakers from owning stock in media companies.[6] Political scientist Titipol Phakdeewanich tied their removal to a broader crackdown on Thailand's pro-democracy movement.[7] An opinion piece in the Bangkok Post wrote that they were "unjustly removed" and that the decision was a "huge blow to the Thai LGBTI community".[8]
References
- Yee, Tan Hui (Mar 30, 2019). "I am intelligent, capable, and a katoey: Thailand's first transgender MP". The Straits Times.
- Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (April 8, 2019). "'I am not here to entertain': meet Thailand's first transgender MP". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- Chandran, Rina (2019-04-17). "From movies to marriage, first Thai transgender MP wants change". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Reuters. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- Lotto Perslo, Sofia (2019-03-25). "Thailand elects first transgender MP Tanwarin Sukkhapisit". www.pinknews.co.uk.
- Boonlert, Thana (2019-04-01). "The LGBT advocate set to be an MP". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- Thanthong-Knight, Randy (October 28, 2020). "Thai Court Disqualifies Opposition Lawmaker in Media Shares Case". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020.
- "Thailand's first transgender MP dismissed from parliament". AFP via The Straits Times. October 28, 2020.
- Mahavongtrakul, Melalin (November 30, 2020). "Light flickers in US, fades in Thailand". Bangkok Post.