Thailands trans sex workers seek

empowerment, not pity

Court orders Arif Yunus to be freed on health grounds as fears grow for
his wife Leyla. RFE/RLs Azerbaijani service reports

When asked if she feels society looks down upon her for her chosen career, Aris Alice Sangkharom says her
actions, not her occupation, should determine how people publicly treat her. Image by Julia Boccagno.
Thailand, 2015.

By Julia Boccagno-11th November 2015

, PATTAYA, ThailandThailandIts 8pm in this popular beach resort, well-known for
its nightlife. The flashes of electrifying neon signs stand out against the black sky; the
sounds of competing bar music make it impossible to decipher any lyrics; the sights of
men wrestling with cobras make tourists go googly eyed with amazement and

anticipation.
This isnt any special night in Pattaya, a city about two hours west of Bangkok. Rather,
these sights, and these sounds, have come to define this town of about 100,000
residents.
However, theres another cultural staple that has come to define Pattaya its red light
district, known for its flourishing sex industry.
Interestingly, Pattaya is only one of many locations where sex work flourishes. The sex
industry in Thailand employs about 250,000 people and brings in about $6.4 billion
dollars in annual revenue, accounting for 10 percent of Thailands GDP, according to
Havocscope, a database which provides the public with information about the global
black market.
Though illegal, sex work is widely tolerated and does more than play a substantial part
in Thailands economy. It also creates opportunity for some of the most marginalized
groups for transgender women, often referred to as lady boys in Bangkok and in
tourist areas like Pattaya.
I like sex work because it makes me feel good. I can choose [the man]. Its up to
me. I can do my way. I can dance and have music, drinking [and] relax.

So many lady boys do sex work because its easy for money, says Aris Alice
Sangkharom, a 34-year old sex worker in Pattaya.
Sangkharom wasnt always a sex worker, nor did she ever envision herself as one.
But, her prior employment competing in lady boy contests in Isaan, a region in
Northeastern Thailand wasnt a stable source of income. In search of economic
opportunity, Sangkharom moved from her home in Isaan to Bangkok. After briefly
working at a bar in Nana Plaza one of Bangkoks notorious red light districts she
relocated to Pattaya after her friends invited her to work at Club 131, a go-go bar that
recently opened in the area.
Sangkharom, who has been working in the sex industry for about 10 years,
speaks with pride when she talks about her occupation. Not only does sex work allow
her to be economically self-sufficient, but, as someone with an exuberant personality, it
also provides her with the freedom she desires.
I like sex work because it makes me feel good, she said. I can choose [the man].
Its up to me. I can do my way. I can dance and have music, drinking [and] relax.

Thitiyanun Doi Nakpor says the door to Sisters is always open to those
seeking assistancewhether it be a hot drink from the barista stand or a
place to sleep above her office. Image by Julia Boccagno. Thailand, 2015.
Thitiyanun Doi Nakpor, the director of Sisters, Center for Transgenders an

organization that supports transgender sex workers and provides them with proper
health and social services says Pattaya serves as the hub of sex tourism in
Thailand. Of the 5,000 transgender people who live in the area, about 75 percent are
sex workers. Most of them, according to Nakpor, are stigmatized as infectious, violent
criminals.
Prostitution is an occupation thats unacceptable for Thai society, because it runs
against [conservative] morals and traditions, she said in an interview. Hence, thats
why transgender prostitutes are being discriminated against twice: for being a
kathoey and a prostitute.
Sisters, since 2004, has been working directly with key stakeholders and those
marginalized to reverse negative stereotypes through community-building activities,
workshops and research.
I want to support and promote you what you are, what you were. Some of my
friends from other organizations they ask me about why Sisters [doesnt help
change] her work for another job, Nakpor said. Sex work is work [to] make money
for her, for her family.
Providing financial resources to family members is a way for members of the
transgender community in Thailand to gain acceptance, says Rapeepun Jommaroeng
of the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand, a community-based organization that
supports and advocates for people of diverse sexualities.
I would say that more than 95 percent of trans working in Pattaya, they are the main
source of family income, he said in an interview. Thai society is gratitude paying
back society, so the children will live with the family until they get married or until the
end of the parents life Its a norm for the Thai society, for children who have
graduated [to] work [and] to keep paying back their parents, keep feeding them until
they die.

After conducting research, Rapeepun Jommaroeng (above) says many

transgender people view Pattaya as a place opportunity in terms of
making income. Image by Julia Boccagno. Thailand, 2015.

According to Havocscope, sex workers in Thailand send an annual average of $300

million to family members who reside in more rural areas of Thailand. Thats more
money raised than any form of government development project has contributed in the
past.
As a part-time sex worker, Sangkharom earns about 20,000 baht roughly $570
per month. This is higher than the average income in Thailand, which, according to the
International Labor Organization, is $489.
Though Sangkharom enjoys the financial stability of sex work, she says it comes with
a dangerous price tag, as transgender sex workers commonly encounter
disproportionate police violence and arbitrary arrests.
Nakpor agrees that police officials unfairly target lady boy sex workers when
compared to born female and male prostitutes. In order to escape arrest, trans
workers bribe police usually with 200 to 1000 baht (about $6 $28). Because sex
work is illegal in Thailand, transgender sex workers are unable to report police
corruption.
This is one reason why Amnesty International voted this past August to pass a
resolution that would decriminalize sex work. Tarah Dermant, senior director of the
Identity and Discrimination Unit for Amnesty International, says the decriminalization of
prostitution is the best way to protect the rights of sex workers.
Sex workers are often times some of the most marginalized people in a society
exactly because of their criminal status, she said in a phone interview. Our policy,
which calls for the decriminalization of sex work, is based on the evidence that the
criminalization of consensual, adult sex work can lead to increase human rights
violations against sex workers.
Nakpor, who advocates for the decriminalization of prostitution, says such a policy
would not only reduce violence, but it would also provide workers with welfare, such as
social security, for them and their families.
However, the resolution which Amnestys board will discuss in detail in a future
meeting could play an important role in empowering sex workers.
Stigmatization of sex workers makes them more vulnerable to human rights abuses.
Decriminalizing sex work helps to de-stigmatize some of societys most vulnerable by
recognizing that the work they do is, in fact, work and that they are themselves worthy
of the protections and guarantees that any worker enjoys, Dermant said.
(Saksith Saiyasombut provided help with the translations of the interviews.)
About the author:A native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Julia Boccagno graduated
magna cum laude from American University with a degree in broadcast journalism in
May 2015. She also pursued a double minor in international studies and Italian.
As a self-proclaimed global nomad, Julia has an innate curiosity about the world and
its diverse inhabitants. She is especially interested in how digital journalism plays a

role in human rights and post-conflict societies. She traveled to Haiti as an alternative
spring break participant and to Peru as a global volunteer. Most recently, Julia
completed a language-intensive study abroad program in Italy at the Universit di
Modena.
Julia interned at United to End Genocide, Search for Common Ground and National
Geographic, all in Washington, D.C. She is also an initiated member of Kappa Tau
Alpha, the national collegiate honor society recognizing the top 10 percent of
journalism students in the United States.
Julia now works for CBS in Washington, D.C., as the News Associate, where she
helps produce content for CBS Morning News, CBS Evening News, and Face the
Nation.
Julia traveled to Thailand with a grant from the Pulitzer Center. View her project here.
Posted by Thavam