section_path: Gender identity and expression
section_name: Gender identity and expression
paragraph_text: Gender identity and expression
  
  Gender-affirming surgeries have been performed in Thailand since 1975, and Thailand is among the most popular destinations globally for patients seeking such operations. Puberty blockers and cross sex hormones are also available to minors in Thailand. Transgender people are quite common in Thai popular entertainment, television shows and nightclub performances; however, transgender people lack various legal rights compared to the rest of the population, and may face discrimination from society.
  
  Transgender people face substantial barriers to employment, including full-time work, executive positions or promotions, according to 2015 research for the International Labour Organization. Discrimination in job applications also often discourages transgender people from seeking further employment opportunities or entering the job market. The research also found that they are faced with "daily discrimination and humiliation" which often cuts short their careers. An editorial in the Bangkok Post in 2013 noted that "we don't find transgenders as high-ranking officials, doctors, lawyers, scientists, or teachers in state-run schools and colleges. Nor as executives in the corporate world. In short, the doors of government agencies and large corporations are still closed to transgender women."
  
  In 2007, the Thai National Assembly debated allowing transgender people to legally change their names after having a sex change operation. The legislature passed a law named Persons' Name Act which created an avenue for transgender people to change their names but not their legal gender. Approval of the request for name change is not guaranteed, as it is up to the discretion of individual administrators.
  
  Post-operation male-to-female transgender government employees are not granted the right to wear female uniforms at work, and are still expected to perform military service. Specific cases of inequality include a hospital which refused to allow a transgender woman to stay in a woman's ward, even though she had undergone sex reassignment surgery.
  
  In 2014, a Matthayom 1 textbook was criticized for discrimination and lack of gender sensitivity, due to a description of transgender people as suffering from gender confusion, khon long phet (คนหลงเพศ), and illustrations in the textbook featuring performances by transgender dancers. Critics argued that the word long (หลง: 'confused') had negative connotations, and that "transgender" or kham phet (ข้ามเพศ) was more suitable. It was reported that officials at the Ministry of Education would investigate the matter.
  
  In July 2019, a proposal to regulate sex changes for transgender individuals was presented to the National Assembly. Among others, the proposed bill would allow those who have undergone sex reassignment surgery to change their legal gender on official documents. It also covers name changes, marriage rights and military conscription.