Some Thai prisons already separate prisoners based on gender identity
In what could be a world first, Thailand is considering opening a separate gay prison for transgender and homosexual individuals.
According to a report by South China Morning Post, the Thai government is considering opening a prison facility exclusively for LGBT inmates. The report also states that while the plans are still under discussion, “in Pattaya and other prisons across Thailand LGBT prisoners are kept apart to prevent violence.”
Pattaya Remand Warden Watcharavit Vachiralerphum told SCMP, “If we didn’t separate them, people could start fighting over partners to sleep with. It could lead to rape, sexual assault, and the spread of disease.”
However critics of the plan have voiced concerns over separating individuals based on gender identity calling it “a measure of segregation” and that the separation would affect inmates who have to go back to society after being released.
The prison would be located on the outskirts of Bangkok and although the proposal was introduced as a measure to keep LGBT people safe, it stalled over concerns that it would keep inmates far from their families.
Although Thailand has a reputation of being liberal towards the LGBT community, the reality is that very little of their rights are recognized in actuality. Same sex couples in Thailand face difficulty when they want a file a marriage or when lawyers file for divorce in the Thai courts because marriage between same-sex individuals is still not recognized.
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