Asia's first transgender centre opens in Bangkok

The Tangerine Community Health Centre – located on the first floor of the Thai Red Cross Aids Research Centre in Bangkok – strives to be a model for quality health services and research for the transgender community. 

Managed by trained transgender personnel and gender-sensitive medical professionals, it provides services that include psychosocial counselling, hormone administration and pap smears and operates from 7.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

The centre is supported under the “Inform Asia: USAID’s Health Research Program”, which received funding from the US Agency for International Development under the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief and was implemented by RTI International and partners. 

“The centre will provide friendly needed services to the transgender community locally, while leading the region in identifying and sharing models to improve healthcare access and quality among transgender people,” said US Ambassador Glyn T Davies at the opening ceremony on Friday. 

“These efforts will be critical to achieving an end to Aids, but will also contribute to a much broader agenda to promote the health and rights of transgender people.”

Thai Transgender Alliance for Human Rights communications director Nicha Rongram said: “This is an immense step for Thailand and the region regarding the mobilisation and advocacy