A small step on the road to a more tolerant society

Being “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.

Just a few years ago Thammasat pleased conservatives and upset liberals. One of its female students, actress Chotiros Suriyawong, triggered a social outcry by wearing a revealing evening gown to an awards ceremony. The university was generally quiet throughout the public storm, raising the question why administrators of an institution that has always been seen as a guardian of rights and liberty, and prides itself on the tradition of ideological provocation, did virtually nothing to defend her.

Then there was the issue of the Nitirat group, led by Thammasat academics who harbour controversial ideas about the role of the monarchy and whose constitutional proposals were perceived in certain quarters as favouring Thaksin Shinawatra. The university was torn between supporters and opponents of this group and ended up flip-flopping over whether the academics should be allowed to use the campus as a staging ground for their campaign.

At least the issue of graduation dress code is not political. Also, there have been similar precedents at some other universities, and Thammasat itself has done this before. The university’s administrators have simply made it official this year, ruling that a medical guarantee would be needed to allow transgender male students to wear female uniform to the ceremony, at which the royal family will be represented. 

The newspaper Thai Rath reported that the university had consulted the Royal Household Bureau about the wishes of five transgender students, who were born male, to wear women’s uniforms for the ceremony. The bureau left the decision to the university.

Supporters of the university’s move have hailed it as another promising step toward greater social recognition for people who face tough gender issues, like the five students in question. Opponents see a slippery slope getting more slippery. A Nation online poll yesterday showed supporters outnumbering opponents, but just barely.

The education community has been quite cautious. Dr Piniti Ratananukul, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Higher Education Commission, pointed out that a university uniform is not everyday attire. According to one school of thought, the rules applying to university graduation uniforms should follow the same rigid stricture that bars monks from dressing like nuns.

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.

Fostering open-mindedness is easier said than done. Even proclaimed advocates of open-mindedness can be the most egocentric people. Liberalism, therefore, can be better achieved one small step at a time, because it’s a process that, ironically, requires the opinions of conservatives in order to be ideal and complete.