Public Statement

Regarding the Incident at Soi Ramkhamhaeng 53: Building a Safe Thai Society That Respects Human Dignity, Diversity, and Nonviolence Principles

The National Committee for the Promotion of Transgender Health Policy and its Network Partners (hereinafter referred to as “The Statement Committee”) is deeply concerned about the incident that occurred at Soi Ramkhamhaeng 53 on May 10, 2026. News reports indicate that a large number of people gathered due to dissatisfaction with a live internet broadcast deemed inappropriate for Islam, leading to negotiations, public apologies, and the headshaving of the person involved. There is ongoing debate in society about whether such actions were committed with “voluntary consent” or “under coercion and pressure from the crowd.”

The Statement Committee believes that this incident should not be reduced to a mere conflict between “religion” and “LGBTQ+”, as such an interpretation could further divide society and lead to hatred towards both the Muslim and LGBTQ+ communities. Instead, this incident should serve as a starting point for a collective review of how Thai society manages conflicts related to religion, gender, human dignity, and freedom of expression, without allowing anger, shame, or mob pressure to become tools for punishing any individual.

The Statement Committee affirms that Islam upholds fundamental principles of justice, mercy, tolerance, and nonviolence. The protection of religion should never be used to justify  punishment, public shaming, or the degradation of any person’s human dignity. At the same time, the Statement Committee believes that expressions concerning religious beliefs should not demean, use verbal violence, or insult the beliefs and faiths of others. It should be based on respect, caution, and responsibility towards the feelings of the faith community, especially in a religiously and culturally diverse society.

However, even if an individual is deemed to have acted inappropriately or caused others to feel religiously insulted, no one or group should use extrajudicial power to pressure, punish, or publicly humiliate that person. Allowing such incidents to go unaddressed could create a dangerous norm where “mob rule” prevails over the law and may open the door to repetition against other groups in the future, including people of other faiths, migrant workers, the poor, marginalized groups, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Lessons from numerous cases in Thai society demonstrate that mob anger can escalate into public punishment, physical violence, or excessive social punishment if there are no systems in place to deter, prevent, and seek solutions based on rights and peaceful means. At the same time, the experiences of Muslim LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly in areas where religion, culture, and gender overlap, reveal that many face violence, forced head shaving, detention, abuse, and forced identity changes—issues that require serious and sensitive attention.

The Statement Committee expresses concern over the risk that this incident could be amplified into hatred towards the Muslim community or escalate into Islamophobia. Simultaneously, it could exacerbate hatred towards LGBTQ+ individuals, especially transgender people, lesbians, trans men, non-binary individuals, and Muslim LGBTQ+ people. Religious conflict is delicate and fragile; allowing misunderstandings, fear, and anger to flourish without a safe space for dialogue could lead to hate crimes and other forms of violence.

The Statement Committee therefore calls upon all parties to reaffirm the fundamental principle that Thai society must be one where religion is respected, believers are protected, and LGBTQ+ individuals are recognized with equal human dignity. These principles do not need to be contradictory if we create a space for learning, listening, reflecting, and practicing together with compassion, fairness, and responsibility towards the community.

Policy Proposals and Collaboration Guidelines

The Statement Committee proposes that the Minister of Culture, as the agency overseeing religious organizations and institutions, Office of the Chularajmontri / Sheikhul Islam Office, Islamic religious leaders, the National Human Rights Commission, the Religious and Peace organizations, and LGBTQ+ rights organizations jointly implement the following guidelines:

1. Establish a safe space for dialogue on religions, human rights, and LGBTQ+ issues.

Safe, neutral, and non-judgmental dialogues should be facilitated, inviting representatives from government agencies, religious leaders, religious scholars, peace activists, human rights organizations, LGBTQ+ organizations, and community representatives to engage in constructive exchanges. The goal is to understand each other’s concerns, reduce misunderstandings, and collaboratively develop public communication guidelines that respect religious faith, human rights, and the dignity of all.

2. Develop best practices for managing conflict through nonviolence and avoiding extrajudicial measures.

Government agencies, police officers, community leaders, religious leaders, and civil society organizations should collaborate to develop clear guidelines for handling conflicts involving religion, beliefs, gender, or personal identity. Such approaches should prioritize de-escalating tensions, the safety of all parties, and the prevention of public shaming, forced apologies, or punitive actions that violate human dignity.  Cases should be referred  through appropriate, legal, and human rights-respecting processes.

3. Promote learning and practice of peaceful methods within communities and institutions.

Pilot projects should be promoted in communities, religious institutions, educational institutions, and civil society organizations to develop skills in peaceful coexistence, such as deep listening, nonviolent communication, apologies and healing, managing differences of opinion, and respecting the dignity of all. This approach should be ongoing, not limited to a single training session or meeting, to bring about change at the level of attitudes, behavior, and cultural coexistence.

Fourth, foster interreligious cooperation to promote understanding and peaceful coexistence.

Cooperation among different religious communities, including Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions, should be promoted to exchange shared principles on human dignity, compassion, justice, non-violence, and coexistence in a multicultural society. This cooperation should be designed to include youth, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other marginalized groups to help reduce stereotypes, interreligious prejudice, and prejudice against LGBTQ+ individuals simultaneously.

Fifth, develop measures to prevent hate crimes and hate speech.

The state, human rights organizations, the media, civil society, and relevant experts should jointly develop mechanisms for monitoring, preventing, and responding to hate crimes and hate speech, especially in cases involving religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, and social status. Such measures should strike a balance between protecting individuals and communities from incitement to violence and respecting freedom of expression in accordance with human rights principles. Emphasis should be placed on prevention, education, redress for those affected, and fair, non-discriminatory law enforcement, ensuring that these actions are not unnecessarily used to suppress dissenting opinions.

Urgent Demands

The Statement Committee calls for:

1. Relevant agencies should conduct a thorough, fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory investigation, taking into account the safety, dignity, and privacy of all parties involved, and establish mechanisms to assist, protect, and remedy those affected.

2. The Ministry of Culture, Office of the Chularajmontri / Sheikhul Islam Office, the National Human Rights Commission, and other relevant agencies should jointly organize a forum with various sectors to exchange lessons learned, concerns, and practical suggestions for developing conflict resolution approaches that respect religion, human rights, the rule of law, and the dignity of all parties.

3. Human rights organizations, religious institutions, peace organizations, educational institutions, and organizations working with LGBTQ+ communities should collaborate in developing learning tools and public education initiatives on religion, gender and sexual diversity, nonviolence, prejudice reduction, and peaceful coexistence in a multicultural society. These resources should be designed for practical use within communities, religious spaces, educational settings, and other public spaces.

4. Media outlets, online content producers, and social media users should communicate responsibly, avoiding stereotypical language, images, or content that incites hatred or exacerbates prejudice, and should consider the facts, safety, dignity, and privacy of all parties involved, as well as its impact on all stakeholders.

5. Government agencies, social media platforms, the media, and civil society should work together to monitor and respond to threats, harassment, incitement to violence, the disclosure of personal information without consent, and actions that may lead to violence, discrimination, or human rights violations.

6. All sectors should jointly affirm that conflicts related to religion, beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, or personal identity must never lead to violence, stereotyping, public shaming, forced apologies, or extrajudicial punishment, but should be resolved peacefully, fairly, according to the rule of law, and with respect for the dignity of all parties. 

The Statement Committee believes that Thai society can protect religion without harming people, can affirm freedom and diversity without disrespecting the faith of others, and can resolve conflicts without allowing anger to escalate into violence.

The incident at Soi Ramkhamhaeng 53 should serve as a wake-up call for all parties to work together to create a new mechanism for coexistence—a mechanism based on learning, listening, self-reflection, the practice of peaceful methods, and interreligious cooperation—so that Thailand can be a society where everyone, regardless of religion, gender, or identity, can live safely, with dignity, and receive equal respect.

Sincerely,

National Transgender Health Policy Advocacy Committee

(Thailand’s Transgender Taskforce)