The motherland is calling! How is the spring draft going in Thailand

Service in the army is an honorable duty of a man. But the army draft in Thailand will destroy all your stereotypes about this process. Firstly, the right to two years of service in the army is raffled off here in a lottery, and secondly, among ordinary conscripts, you can meet numerous transgender people who defiantly dress in women's clothes and stand in line with everyone else.

Find out what unusual laws and traditions are observed when joining the ranks of the Thai army from our material.

Transgender people in Thailand line up with conscript guys to pass a fitness test for military service. Those of them who have already completed the surgical path of transformation from a man into a woman will not be taken into the army, as well as those young people who do not pass for medical reasons.

The law of the country says that everyone who was born a man must appear at the military enlistment office after he turns 21 to take part in the so-called "draft lottery".

It has already become an annual tradition: transgender people in glamorous dresses and makeup proudly demonstrate their femininity, lining up with other recruits.

For many transgender people, the military commission turns into a real nightmare. They feel terrible pressure, stress and ridicule. Some of them are even ready to commit suicide, just not to go to the military enlistment office.

Thailand seems to be a paradise for transgender women who often appear on television and work in the field of beauty services: hairdressers, spas and cosmetics stores. But they cannot change their gender identity in official documents, despite the law against sexual discrimination adopted in 2015.

In addition, they are often not allowed in women's toilets and are not allowed to stay in hotels.