Discover the vibrant success of the “Pride in Pixel” Phone Photography Exhibition, a collaborative effort by the LinQ Foundation and Myanmar-LGBTQ-oriented Yin Kone Than – ရင်ခုန်သံ, held at SOME SPACE Gallery in Chiang Mai on 6-7 July 2024. This event featured over seventy stunning phone photographs contributed by LGBTQ+ artists and allies from Myanmar.
The exhibition celebrated creativity and resilience, showcasing the talents nurtured through our Advocacy Photography Workshop earlier in the year. This initiative empowered participants with photography skills and advocacy insights, culminating in the Advocacy Phone Photography Competition. It exemplified our commitment to bringing LGBTQ+ communities and individuals together by fostering meaningful connections.
Approximately forty attendees engaged deeply with the art, moved by the powerful narratives each photograph conveyed. The event not only marked Pride Month but also emphasized the importance of visibility and advocacy for Myanmar’s LGBTQ+ community.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Yin Kone Than – ရင်ခုန်သံ, participants, attendees, and supporters whose contributions made “Pride in Pixel” a resounding success. Through initiatives like this, the LinQ Foundation continues advocating for equality and acceptance, amplifying diverse voices, and promoting a more inclusive society through the lens of each photograph.
We’re seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented Admin & Finance Officer (Part-time) to join our team! As part of our organization, you’ll play a crucial role in ensuring financial compliance, managing accounts, and supporting our mission to empower LGBTQ+ community.
August 31, 2023—It goes without saying that adopting DEI and enforcing non-discriminatory policies are internally important, the external force from the nation is also crucial. Legal protection is another vital aspect of workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+—the end of the day, laws are the safest asset that LGBTQ+ community could have ever asked a nation to invest in.
In 2015, Thailand was the first Southeast Asian country that approved Gender Equality Act, enforced by the Committee on Determination of Unfair Gender Discrimination (CDUGD), which to ensure gender equality in both the public and private sectors across Thailand, which undoubtedly correlates to workplace inclusion policies.
Gender Equality Act prohibits any act or omission of the act which causes division, discrimination or limitation of any right and benefit either directly or indirectly, without justification due to the fact that the person is male or female or of a different appearance from his/her own sex by birth.
However, according to UNDP and the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family analysis in 2020 on the implemented laws and policies, there are flaws and delays in practices of the Gender Equality Act (2015)—a lack of policy makers’ supports, delays of reviewing and executing complaints, unclear procedures provided, lack of cooperation from accused parties etc. The research also shows that transgender women is the group that is facing discrimination the most, and most of their complaints were dismissed without any punishment.
Therefore, not only DEI should be adopted, but it is also important for government, organizations and workplaces to put laws and policies into action. Here are some suggestions from our end https://shorturl.at/asD15.
Below in the information cards are common problems LGBTQ+ facing in their workplace.
August 18, 2023—With the rise of consumer behaviors leaning towards brands that value environmental and social causes, corporates and organizations ought to adapt. Since 80s, corporates see the rise of the LGBTQ+ communities, which are observed as the rise of an emerging market. As of 2019, the communities’ buying power, or aka Pink Money, reached $3.7 trillion before surpassing $4 trillion in 2021. The business world could definitely not avoid this power.
In the meantime, the research depicts that diversity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ in workplace directly corresponds to their engagement, productivity and effectiveness. By providing a safe and supportive working environment for LGBTQ+ employees, their productivity is observed to increase 30% more. Undoubtedly, in a warm and friendly environment, LGBTQ+ employees are likely to stay with the organizations longer, estimating 26% higher in turnover rate.
Another proven research conducted by Harris Interactive (2011) shows that 87% of LGBTQ+ adults are likely to lean towards the companies that ensures workplace inclusion and equality for LGBTQ+ community; likewise, 23% of them claim to have a change of mind in switching to others LGBTQ-friendly brands.
This is the reason why companies and organizations must consider diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as a serious matter. Otherwise, the companies and organizations will miss out not only talents that could potentially bring more innovation, production and income, but also the LGBTQ+ consumers who have considerably high buying power.
August 11, 2023—Did you know that workplace inclusion plays a crucial role in economic development in a broader sense—increasing better organizations’ performances, productivity, innovation and retention.
Embracing LGBTQ inclusion at the workplace offers numerous advantages for companies, both socially and economically. Research has consistently shown that diverse organizations perform better, are more innovative, and increase productivity.
What is workplace inclusion?
Workplace inclusion is defined as a culture that allows every identity and sexual orientation in the organization to feel respected, included, represented, given same rights, and ultimately, to be their authentic self. This impacts individuals in the organizations to be more creative, proactive, and collaborative for better collective work results.
Let’s work together to foster LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace, benefiting both companies and society as a whole—by creating an environment where everyone can thrive. We contribute to a fair, equitable and diverse world.
August 5-6, 2023—The LinQ Foundation successfully conducted the Human Rights Defender Workshop for actions aiming to eliminate all forms of HIV related stigma and discrimination, hosted by our President Pongthorn Chalearn. We will like to thank everyone for attending the workshop.
Under the theme ‘Together for Equality and Diversity’, the LinQ Foundation opens an opportunity for every creative who is from Myanmar and Thailand to create a public awareness campaign that directly relates to LGBTQ communities. This campaign aims to create a society that upholds equality and justice as values, respects individuals and diversity, and raises awareness about societal issues the LGBTQ community facing in Myanmar and Thailand.
Chiang Mai City, May 28th 2023_As the annual Pride Month celebration is in full swing, the LinQ Foundation, as one of the vital organizers, took part in the Chiang Mai Pride Month event on 28th May 2023, a return-to-the-normal event after COVID-19 that the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chiang Mai sponsored.
Human rights activists, Thailand Foundations, and CSOs, including the LinQ Foundation, organized Chiang Mai Pride 2023, coming together with communities from Chiang Mai. The exciting parade, live performance, and many other fun activities make the event well-rounded. All colors and SOGIESC with different nationalities celebrate the pride parade with a loud, clear message and colorful performances.
Proudly with other partners, LinQ set up a booth at Chiang Mai’s Tourist Spot, the Tha Phae Gate, with SOGIESC quizzes and photo shots for social media posts using the hashtag to raise awareness about the LGBTQ+ community. The attraction at the booth created a buzz, and local people and tourists worldwide participated in the activities and appreciated the effort to bring SOGIESC awareness and advocacy to a diverse audience.
As part of ‘Bringing Communities Together,’ LinQ also provided free Burmese food at their booth, introducing local Thai people and visitors to traditional Burmese food. In addition, the organization organized a public film screening showcasing five compelling stories from the LGBTQ+ community from Thailand and Myanmar, which tugged at the audience’s heartstrings. The film screening was an excellent opportunity for the audience to learn about the struggles, challenges, and successes of the LGBTQI+ community firsthand.
LinQ’s community engagement activities at the Pride Month event created a significant impact and a lasting impression on the audience, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to equality and inclusion. Many locals and tourists joined the quizzes, taking photos committed to the equality for LGBTQ pledge with the suggested hashtag and posting on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and LINE.
The event was a resounding success, and the collaboration effort enabled the Pride Month celebration to shine even brighter. As the Pride Month celebration continues, we look forward to more such efforts and initiatives by organizations to raise awareness and create a more inclusive and equitable environment for LGBTQ.
Chiang Mai City, March 11th and 12th 2023_The LinQ Foundation, in coordination with the Queer Education Group, organized a two-day SOGIESC awareness workshop with sixteen media outlets from Myanmar.
The LinQ Foundation’s vision is to build resilience to achieve equality for LGBTQ individuals and others, particularly from vulnerable communities in Thailand and Myanmar, positioning SOGIESC inclusion as a gateway to connect queers and non-queers. The LinQ sees media as critical for promoting social inclusion, tolerance, and respect for diversity.
On the first day of the workshop, the president of the Board of Directors of the LinQ Foundation, Mr. Pong Thorn Canlearn, in his opening remarks mentioned, “LGBTQ persons are not strange people; an LGBTQ person can be an artist, a journalist, a political leader, a teacher, a nurse, a businessperson, or another professional – you name it. Even so, LGBTQ people experience discrimination and other human rights violations daily. If you search for data, you will find that LGTBQ individuals are in a higher percentage of suicide cases and mental health issues worldwide. They have pressure from their families, the society, and their country.
Understanding SOGIESC is humanity. SOGIESC is a door to seeing life from an LGBTQ person’s perspective. We all are here with the mindset of society, and our actions aim to protect life and health and ensure respect for human beings. The LinQ is here for humanity.”
This workshop began with a SOGIESC awareness session conducted by a trainer from Queer Education – a session that revealed an in-depth definition of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Expression, and Sex Characteristics. A journalist reflected on learning and said, “I received no training on LGBTQ or SOGIESC awareness in the past. I have many friends who are LGBTQ. In my opinion, I thought I accepted them well. Still, I did not understand their emotion or sexual orientation, as we had no open discussion. When my friends, who I thought were straight when we were younger, opened up about being LGBTQ, it was hard for me to believe, and I wondered what had happened to them. But now, this workshop opens my mind to understanding their emotions, and sexual orientation, and these terms mean”
On day two, the workshop invited media representatives to discuss how LGBTQ-related news is reported in the media widely and the challenges of writing LGBTQ-related reports or articles, which include media attitude towards LGBTQ, words choice, type of news that media portray LGBTQ utmost, and how media approach LGBTQ individual for the information. A reporter added, “Some people still see LGBTQ living beyond nature or disgusting. When we wrote about LGBTQ before – we used to describe them with homosexual words only. After joining this workshop, I don’t just look at the appearance of LGBTQ people but the aspects of how they see, feel, and want to be called. I discover how we can express or write about them. We can raise their voice better by writing different categories or different means of LGBTQ rather than just using the word homosexual.”
In addition, the workshop identified the challenges and the needs of journalists and reporters in writing about LGBTQ-related news and articles. According to the participants reporters, significant obstacles for reporters remain as direct communications with LGBTQ personnel to interview and receive the information and resources related to SOGIESC and LGBTQ and some media outlets’ limited interest in LGBTQ-related news.
An interesting point was raised by one of the journalists: Sometimes the source of information doesn’t come directly from an LGBTQ person, but rather from an intermediary person who doesn’t know how to use appropriate and respectful terms to qualify LGBTQ persons and their SOGIESC. It then becomes challenging if the journalist must quote this middle person as proper terms may be omitted. Lastly, the media representatives request resources to write about LGBTQ, including evidence-based data, research, and information.
Two media representatives who joined the workshop identified as LGBTQ, and 70 percent of them had experience writing LGBTQ news and articles. One LGBTQ reporter even share his personal experience, “I am an LGBTQ individual and don’t feel comfortable being called my name (feminine name). Because I haven’t had any hormone injections, I always sound like a woman over the call. When people call me Ms., I feel annoyed that people are unaware of my gender. Now I openly come out at my work and with my friends. I am also very grateful to know about SOGIESC.”
Like many other countries, Myanmar has witnessed increased discrimination and violence against individuals based on their SOGIESC. Across the country, discrimination and harassment are rampant, and individuals who do not conform to binary gender norms are often subjected to harassment, stigma, and violence. The role of media in sensitizing individuals on SOGIESC in Myanmar has never been more critical. Media, if used effectively, can act as a tool for promoting social inclusion, tolerance, and respect for diversity.
The SOGIESC awareness workshop with media will be a regular event of the LinQ Foundation for sustained, continuous learning and integration of SOGIESC inclusion in media.
