Just days after marriage equality was enacted in Thailand, the national health ministry announced that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) would be included in the free health services available to Thai citizens.
On Monday, Thailand’s Public Health Ministry allocated 145.63 million baht to the National Health Security Office for HRT, according to the Bangkok Post. This funding is aimed at addressing the HRT needs of an estimated 200,000 transgender individuals in the country.
Deputy government spokesperson Anukool Pruksanusak indicated that this allocation directly supports the government’s marriage equality policy, highlighting the importance of both physical and mental health for sexually diverse individuals.
He pointed out the increasing acceptance of various gender identities and noted that many transgender people rely on hormone therapy to align their physical appearance with their gender identity.
Pruksanusak mentioned that the financial burden of self-funding HRT has hindered access to proper care for some trans individuals, potentially leading to health risks if they resort to buying and using hormones without medical guidance.
While the new marriage equality law replaces “husband” and “wife” with inclusive, gender-neutral terms, there is still resistance to fully recognizing the rights of transgender citizens in Thailand.
According to Human Rights Watch, trans individuals encounter “numerous” obstacles related to health, education, employment, freedom of movement, and protection against discrimination.
Although discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation has been illegal in Thailand since 2015, transgender Thais currently lack a legal pathway to change their gender on official documents.
This has led to situations where many marriages between transgender women and cisgender men are officially recorded as same-sex unions between men. For instance, transgender woman Nina Chetniphat Chuadkhunthod married her boyfriend of 22 years last Thursday, using personal documents that still identify her as male. Thailand’s Parliament rejected a proposed gender recognition bill last February.
Local trans rights advocate Hua Boonyapisomparn stated, “We should use marriage equality as an opportunity to open another door for gender recognition.”
Nada Chaiyajit, a lecturer at Mae Fah Luang University’s law school, remarked to Reuters, “We have come far in changing the law, but there is still a way to go for more inclusion.”
