Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures are subcultures and communities composed of people who have shared experiences, backgrounds, or interests due to common sexual or gender identities. Among the first to argue that members of sexual minorities can also constitute cultural minorities were Adolf Brand, Magnus Hirschfeld, and Leontine Sagan in Germany. These pioneers were later followed by the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis in the United States.
In the Indian subcontinent, hijra are transgender, intersex, or eunuch people who live in communities that follow a kinship system known as the guru-chela system. They are also known as aravani and aruvani, and in Pakistan, khawaja sira.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to transgender topics.
The precedence of Thai royalty follows a system of ranks known as thanandon, which are accompanied by royal titles.
Princess Soamsawali, the Princess Suddhanarinatha, born Mom LuangSoamsawali Kitiyakara, is a member of the Thai royal family, and is the former wife of her first cousin King Vajiralongkorn. She was titled "the Princess Mother of the King's First Grandchild" after her divorce from the then crown prince in 1991. She is also a niece of Queen Sirikit.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Thailand are regarded as some of the most comprehensive of those in Asia. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal. Same-sex marriage was signed into law in 2024, and will come into force in January 2025. Thailand was the first Asian UN member state to pass a comprehensive same-sex marriage law, as well as the first in Southeast Asia and the 37th in the world. About eight percent of the Thai population, five million people, are thought to be in the LGBT demographic.
Prince Chitcharoen, the Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong, Prince Naris for short, né Chitcharoen (จิตรเจริญ), was a member of the royal family of Siam, minister, general and scholar. A polymath, he became known as "the great craftsman of Siam" and "the prince master". The anniversary of his birth, 28 April, is celebrated in Thailand as "Prince Naris Day".
Kathoey or katoey, commonly translated as ladyboy in English, is a term used by some people in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, whose identities in English may be best described as transgender women in some cases, or effeminate gay men in other cases. These people are not traditionally transgender, but are seen as a third sex. Transgender women in Thailand mostly use terms other than kathoey when referring to themselves, such as phuying. A significant number of Thai people perceive kathoey as belonging to a separate sex, including some transgender women themselves.
Mak Nyah, alternatively spelled maknyah, is a Malay vernacular term for trans women in Malaysia. It arose in the late 1980s in order to distinguish trans women from other minorities.
A transgender person is someone whose gender identity differs from that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Mongolia face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ people, though there have been substantial improvements since the 1990s. Homosexuality was criminalised in Mongolia in 1961 through its Criminal Code. Following the Mongolian Revolution of 1990 and the peaceful transition to a democracy, homosexuality was legalised and awareness about LGBTQ people has become more prevalent. Hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity result in additional legal penalties. Hate speech based on these two categories has been outlawed in the country since 1 July 2017. Households headed by same-sex couples are, however, not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.
Mom Rajawongse Adulakit Kitiyakara, was the chief-president of the supreme judicature of Thailand, and former member of the Privy Council of Thailand. He was a member of the House of Kitiyakara, the Princely House descended from the Chakri dynasty. He was the elder brother of Queen Sirikit, consort of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.
Purachatra Jayakara, Prince of Kamphaengphet was a Prince of Siam and a member of the Siamese Royal Family. He founded the House of Chatrajaya (ราชสกุลฉัตรไชย), his descendants still use this royal surname. He was a son of King Chulalongkorn of Siam. He was often called the Father of the Thai radio and the Father of the Thai railways, due to his contributions in both fields.
Historically, the portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in media has been largely negative if not altogether absent, reflecting a general cultural intolerance of LGBTQ individuals; however, from the 1990s to present day, there has been an increase in the positive depictions of LGBTQ people, issues, and concerns within mainstream media in North America. The LGBTQ communities have taken an increasingly proactive stand in defining their own culture, with a primary goal of achieving an affirmative visibility in mainstream media. The positive portrayal or increased presence of the LGBTQ communities in media has served to increase acceptance and support for LGBT communities, establish LGBTQ communities as a norm, and provide information on the topic.
In Thailand, one can find several different gender roles, identities and diverse visual markers of masculinity and femininity. Beyond the traditional male and female roles, there are categories for individuals who are gender non-conforming, whether in looks or behavior. These are generally regarded as sub-types of each sex, rather than a distinct gender identity, and correlate strongly with homosexuality. Demand and support for positive self-identity is growing in Thailand.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:
Margaret Lin Xavier or Khun Ying Srivisanvaja, known colloquially as Dr. Lin, was a Thai physician. She was the first Thai woman to receive a degree in medicine.
Transgender is a term describing someone with a gender identity inconsistent with that which was identified at birth. In South Korea, transgender communities exist and obtaining gender affirmation surgery is possible, but there are many barriers for transgender people in the country. The former head of the LGBT Human Rights of Korea once stated that "Of all sexual minorities, transgender is the lowest class. They are often abandoned by their families and most of them drop out of school because of bullying. The inconsistency between their appearance and their citizen identification numbers often makes it hard for them to land decent jobs."
As of 2018, there were estimated to be between 4.2 and 5 million LGBTQ people living in Thailand. Thailand has long had a reputation of tolerance when it comes to LGBTQ people. However, the Bangkok Post noted in 2013 that "while Thailand is viewed as a tourist haven for same-sex couples, the reality for locals is that the law, and often public sentiment, is not so liberal." A 2014 report by the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations Development Programme said that LGBTQ people "still face discrimination affecting their social rights and job opportunities", and "face difficulty gaining acceptance for non-traditional sexuality, even though the tourism authority has been promoting Thailand as a gay-friendly country".
