Thailand: Freedom Of Expression & LGBTQIA+

Episode 22

The InterPride podcast series, InterPod, where the world comes together for the LGBTQIA+ community, is proud to launch our 22nd episode, Thailand: Freedom Of Expression & LGBTQIA+.

The LGBTQIA+ community has come a long way in the fight for acceptance. However, our voices matter and will be heard. Many LGBTQIA+ community members have fought for decades for the right to be seen and heard.

In this episode, we speak with Chumaporn “Waaddao” Taengkliang (she/her/they/them), the leader of the Feminist Liberation Front in Thailand.

While globally, Thailand is considered an inclusive country for LGBTQIA+ communities and tourists, those living here struggle for equal rights as courts continue to postpone rulings in a groundbreaking LGBTQIA+ marriage equality case.

Listen in as we hear from Chumaporn “Waaddao” Taengkliang!

Global LGBTQIA+ News Update Provided By Michael K. Lavers, the international news editor of the Washington Blade.

More About This Episode

Thailand’s La Majeste law, created in 1908 and toughened in 1976, says anyone who

defames, insults, or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent

will be punished with a jail term between three and 15 years.

It is considered among the strictest in the world, with critics saying it is being used to crack down on free speech, prompting the United Nations to call on Thailand to amend it repeatedly.

LGBTQIA+ and gender rights, pro-democracy activist Chumaporn “Waaddao” Taengkliang has been at the forefront of the equal rights movement for about a decade. Waaddao joins us to discuss the movement’s progress, despite the La Majeste law in place.

Waaddao, the leader of the Feminist Liberation Front. The Feminist Liberation Front is a democratic reform group that promotes gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights in Thailand. While raising awareness of issues such as marriage equality, gender-based violence, and oppression, the speakers at rallies organized by the Feminist Liberation Front also call for institutional reform and the repeal of Section 112, a criminal code in Thailand’s lese majeste laws that carry up to 15 years in prison.

Under the leadership of Chumaporn “Waaddao” Taengkliang, the Feminist Liberation Front acts as a safe space for feminists, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, activists, and allies while maintaining peaceful, colorful protests promoting inclusivity and human rights. While globally, Thailand is considered an inclusive country for LGBTQIA+ communities and tourists, those living here struggle for equal rights as courts continue to postpone rulings in a groundbreaking LGBTQIA+ marriage equality case.

Listen in as we hear from Chumaporn “Waaddao” Taengkliang!

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Michelle Meow is the host and producer of “The Michelle Meow Show.” The program’s tagline is: ‘Your A-Z, covering the LGBT, LMNOP, and everyone in between.’ Michelle’s mission is to construct opportunities for people to listen to deep conversations to develop understanding and empathy. She shares, “We simply don’t have enough opportunities to talk and not enough moments to listen.” Michelle’s show can be heard in San Francisco and nationally on the Progressive Voices Network, and her local TV show can be seen on KBCW TV and Channel 44.

Michelle also produces programs at the iconic Commonwealth Club, where she has also served on their Board of Governors. There she is dedicated to conversations around social justice with an intersectional lens. She has interviewed notable thought-leaders such as Olympic medalist Adam Rippon, NFL’s first out LGBTQ coach Katie Sowers, the first American woman in space, and Sally Ride’s widow Tam O’Shaughnessy. Since 2006, Michelle has been a co-host of the San Francisco Pride Parade broadcast and was President of their Board of Directors from 2014 to 2018. She is a self-described LGBTQI+ history geek, information sponge, and a lover, not a fighter.

Michelle shares, “Exchanging thoughtful dialogue can create change. We are all different, but we find similarities and hope in our differences. Exchanging thoughtful dialogue can create the change we all seek in humanity.”

You can learn more about Michelle and her programming here.