Human rights campaigners and LGBTQ+ advocates have urged authorities to ensure legal protection for a Muslim transgender woman who was pressured into shaving her head after allegedly mocking the Koran.
The incident occurred on Sunday night in Ramkhamhaeng Soi 53, an area known for its sizeable Muslim community.
The dispute stemmed from a wider online debate over whether transgender Muslims should wear the hijab. During a livestream discussing the issue, a Muslim transgender woman known as “Madam Lor”, who is originally from Narathiwat, made inflammatory comments about Islam and the Koran.
Her remarks triggered widespread anger online. On Sunday evening, Muslim community leaders invited “Madam Lor” to a restaurant in Ramkhamhaeng Soi 53 for discussions aimed at calming the situation.
She reportedly apologised and explained that her comments had been made in anger.
However, hundreds of angry Muslims had gathered outside the venue, demanding a stronger act of remorse. She eventually agreed to slap her own mouth and have her head shaved before police escorted her away for her safety.
The incident was criticised on Tuesday by leading members of Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community during a press conference on Bangkok’s bid to host World Pride 2030.
Bangkok is competing against London and Barcelona, with the winning host city expected to be announced in January 2027.
Waaddao Ann Chumaporn, co-founder of Bangkok Pride, voiced serious concern over what she described as violations of human dignity and freedom against a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
She said the incident resembled a “kangaroo court” and represented an abusive use of power.
“The scene included incitement through online platforms which caused the mob (to assemble) and pressure that person to dehumanise herself publicly,” she said.
A day earlier, the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand released a statement stressing that respect for other people’s beliefs is a key foundation of peaceful coexistence in a democratic and multicultural society.
The association said using religious scriptures, prayers or symbols for mockery would inevitably hurt the feelings of followers of that faith.
“Therefore, everyone must realise that freedom comes with responsibility and should avoid actions that generate hatred or social division,” it said.
“Nevertheless, while dissatisfaction over one’s faith being violated is understandable, the association firmly asserts that using mass pressure, intimidation, threats or personal punishment in any form constitutes ‘mob rule’ or ‘vigilante justice’.”
“This is unacceptable in a society governed by the rule of law and human rights.”
The association urged all sides to remain calm and uphold the principle that social disputes must be settled “through dialogue, mutual respect for rights and due process of law — not through violence or mass pressure”.
Nada Chaiyajit, a PhD candidate at the University of Warwick Law School in England and a law lecturer at Mae Fah Luang University who identifies as Muslim trans-intersex, described the incident as “hijacking and distorting Islamic theology”.
Writing on Facebook, she said inciting a mob in the name of religion to surround, intimidate and force someone to renounce their identity in exchange for acceptance was not “bringing a servant back to the path of Allah”, but a radical rejection of religious principles.
“The sanctity of the Koran is not diminished by the mockery of one individual or any group of people,” she added.
