Did Thai university reject transgender lecturer because of an Instagram post?

By Alexandra Demetrianova

One of the most renowned and liberal universities in Thailand, Thammasat, has stood behind its original decision to not accept its graduate Kath Khangpiboon as a lecturer at Faculty of Social Administration. The rejected appeal comes despite the fact that the Faculty has fully supported Kath, as its alumni and previously an external lecturer.

The 28-year-old transgender woman has been fighting her case at Thammasat for months now after the University Board Committee rejected her application because of social media posts they viewed as not “acceptable for a Thammasat lecturer”. Miss Khangpiboon hasn’t followed the “ethical principles of Thammasat lecturer”, it said. The body also rejected claims by Kath that the latest decision was based on her transgender identity.

But Kath Khangpiboon is not only a transgender woman, she is also one of the most prominent and well known LGBT activists in Thailand and Southeast Asia. As a co-founder of Thai Transgender Alliance and one of the first openly transgender academics at Thammasat University, Kath sees the committee’s gender discrimination. But she’s not giving up: “I will take further legal steps at the Administrative Court of Thailand. In the courts my case could take months, or even years, but I am determined to go all the way to Constitutional Court.”

The LGBT activist and academic graduated from both Bachelor and Master programs with specialization in gender at Faculty of Social Administration and continued teaching there externally.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/133794/did-thai-university-reject-transgender-lecturer-because-of-an-instagram-post/