Thai University Allows Cross-Dressing GraduatesAugust 16, 2012, 9:04pm
(dpa)
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/369921/thai-university-allows-crossdressing-graduatesA leading Thai university for the first time has given permission to five cross-dressing students to wear women's gowns at their graduation ceremony this month, officials said.
''We think it is the right decision for us because society is open to this at present,'' said Udom Ratamarit, the deputy dean of administration at Bangkok's Thammasat University.
The university allows undergraduate students to cross-dress in classes and was under increasing pressure to extend the flexible dress code to graduation gowns.
At least four cross-dressing students had asked for permission to dress as women at last year's graduation ceremony but were denied.
The university OK'd the new dress code after receiving a go-ahead from the Royal Household Bureau, which handles questions of etiquette for all functions involving the Thai royal family. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is to preside over the university's August 30 graduation ceremony.
EDITORIALA small step on the road to a more tolerant societyThe Nation August 18, 2012 1:00 am
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/A-small-step-on-the-road-to-a-more-tolerant-societ-30188566.htmlThammasat University will allow transgender male students to wear female uniform on graduation day; a positive move amid our deep divisionBeing "liberal" is never easy, and even less so if you run a university that is supposed to be at the front line when it comes to liberalism. Thammasat University this past week made headlines again after deciding to allow male students - if they can get medical verification of having "women's hearts" - to dress in female uniform at this year's graduation ceremony. Predictably, it's a move that has divided society. Only this time the university is under fire from conservatives.
....
The bottom line, however, is that there are those who genuinely feel that they are trapped in the body of the "wrong" gender. Those who are born male but regard themselves as female feel they're being untrue to themselves if they have to behave like men, particularly on one of the most important days of their lives. While some outsiders might perceive male students in female uniform as a charade, the students in question consider it simple honesty. To dress otherwise would be hypocritical.
At least Thammasat's move is nourishing the dialogue. The media have handled the issue quite carefully as well, walking a tightrope with conservatives on one side and pro-choice thinkers on the other. This can only be a good sign, especially at a time when ideological conflicts tend to invoke people's darker sides.
