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Gays take on Novotel in club row
Global campaign planned as hotel is accused of barring transvestites
Gay-rights advocates plan to launch a global boycott against a high-end Bangkok hotel after it barred a transvestite from its nightclub.
Nikorn Arthit, president of Bangkok Rainbow Organi-sation, said yesterday that a campaign called "Novotel - No Homosexual" would soon be started through an online network of "third gender" groups.
The campaign is to fight back against the Novotel Siam Square after it banned a transvestite from entering its Concept CM2 Club.
"It is fine if you ban gays and transvestites, but you have to pay the price," Nikorn said.
The controversy sprang
to media attention when Sutthirat Simsiriwong, a transvestite who is a local brand manager for a French cosmetics firm, was told he could not enter the club last Friday.
A cross-dressing Sutthirat said his ID card was checked by club staff. Once the staff found that the card identified him as "Mr", he was not allowed entry, even though he went there with a VIP guest of the club.
"The staff said it is hotel policy to not allow katoey to enter," he claimed.
The word "katoey" is loosely used in Thailand to describe cross-dressers and transgender people.
The hotel, part of the Accor Group, yesterday issued a press statement signed by its executive general Michael Thomas denying the accusation.
Though admitting that Sutthirat was barred from entry, Thomas said the refusal was not part of the club's entry policy and was not supported by its management. He said the club regularly supported the gay community by hosting Mardi Gras, gay beauty pageants and singing contests.
"The unfortunate incident was an isolated instance of
an error in judgement aris-ing from non-conformity of the official ID on the part of the door staff involved in
the altercation with Mr Sutthirat," Thomas said.
He did not say what the staff told Sutthirat. He said customer-service training for CM2 staff would be undertaken. He also said the process to check ID cards of the club's guests was for security reasons.
Sutthirat yesterday flied a complaint to Human Rights Commissioner Naiyana Sup-apung, who said she would investigate the case.
After his fate was publicised, many transvestites called Sutthirat and told him they had received similar treatment from CM2 staff.
"If the hotel wants to ban katoey, it should show a clear sign and we would not go to be treated like this," he said.
Nikorn believed the incident was based on the hotel's policy to ban katoey but claimed it was not brave enough to declare its policy publicly.
He claimed a once-popular Silom nightclub was bankrupted within a month after putting up a sign reading "No homosexuals" on its door.
He wants CM2 to get a taste of its own medicine. "The club is not a popular place for katoey, but don't forget that big numbers of gay tourists come to Thailand," he said.
Nikorn said CM2 and other clubs probably did not realise the size of the gay market because many gay people cannot be recognised from their appearance.
From:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007....988.php
Global campaign planned as hotel is accused of barring transvestites
Gay-rights advocates plan to launch a global boycott against a high-end Bangkok hotel after it barred a transvestite from its nightclub.
Nikorn Arthit, president of Bangkok Rainbow Organi-sation, said yesterday that a campaign called "Novotel - No Homosexual" would soon be started through an online network of "third gender" groups.
The campaign is to fight back against the Novotel Siam Square after it banned a transvestite from entering its Concept CM2 Club.
"It is fine if you ban gays and transvestites, but you have to pay the price," Nikorn said.
The controversy sprang
to media attention when Sutthirat Simsiriwong, a transvestite who is a local brand manager for a French cosmetics firm, was told he could not enter the club last Friday.
A cross-dressing Sutthirat said his ID card was checked by club staff. Once the staff found that the card identified him as "Mr", he was not allowed entry, even though he went there with a VIP guest of the club.
"The staff said it is hotel policy to not allow katoey to enter," he claimed.
The word "katoey" is loosely used in Thailand to describe cross-dressers and transgender people.
The hotel, part of the Accor Group, yesterday issued a press statement signed by its executive general Michael Thomas denying the accusation.
Though admitting that Sutthirat was barred from entry, Thomas said the refusal was not part of the club's entry policy and was not supported by its management. He said the club regularly supported the gay community by hosting Mardi Gras, gay beauty pageants and singing contests.
"The unfortunate incident was an isolated instance of
an error in judgement aris-ing from non-conformity of the official ID on the part of the door staff involved in
the altercation with Mr Sutthirat," Thomas said.
He did not say what the staff told Sutthirat. He said customer-service training for CM2 staff would be undertaken. He also said the process to check ID cards of the club's guests was for security reasons.
Sutthirat yesterday flied a complaint to Human Rights Commissioner Naiyana Sup-apung, who said she would investigate the case.
After his fate was publicised, many transvestites called Sutthirat and told him they had received similar treatment from CM2 staff.
"If the hotel wants to ban katoey, it should show a clear sign and we would not go to be treated like this," he said.
Nikorn believed the incident was based on the hotel's policy to ban katoey but claimed it was not brave enough to declare its policy publicly.
He claimed a once-popular Silom nightclub was bankrupted within a month after putting up a sign reading "No homosexuals" on its door.
He wants CM2 to get a taste of its own medicine. "The club is not a popular place for katoey, but don't forget that big numbers of gay tourists come to Thailand," he said.
Nikorn said CM2 and other clubs probably did not realise the size of the gay market because many gay people cannot be recognised from their appearance.
From:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007....988.php
What's your take on applying this type of policy to say hospitals?
I stayed at Novotel Siam Square last October ,with a Thai lb I brought with me from Aus.They were most helpful and offered entry to their nightclub, whilst we were there.Mind you I think that half the staff were trying to get their end in, as she is extremely passable with a great figure.The security guard even carried her across the flooding water ,after a huge downpour.In summary,no problems.
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