Thailand’s first transgender Member of Parliament, Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, lost her seast for supporting the ongoing pro-democracy movement to remove Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and reform country’s monarch system.
Former actor and pioneer for LGBT community won election last year from the Future Forward Party, but in February the party was dissolved, triggering pro-democracy activists to demand that federal authorities step down.
Her seat was removed on the basis that she had breached electoral regulations, as she is a stockholder of a media company
When asked, Tanwarin stated that she was already aware about the move, although she did not consider this as gender discrimination.
She said she would continue to work for better results for the LGBT community. Thai transgender people face constant discrimination in education and workplaces. However, the nation has three more transgender MPs.