Thai transgender people’s English articulation in intercultural communication

Abstract

This research used online focus group discussions involving five Thai transgender participants and participants with various gender identities and sexuality to examine Thai transgender people’s articulations of gender, sexuality and senses of themselves. English was used as a lingua franca (ELF). A poststructuralist discourse analysis was used. The results illustrated that most Thai transgender participants were willing to articulate their genders and sexuality in a friendly and polite environment in intercultural communication. However, individual differences were found while initially articulating gender and sexuality over time in the same group discussion. In addition, the friendly and polite situational environment could trigger them to articulate more information regarding their gender and sexuality. Moreover, the five Thai transgender participants revealed their powerfulness as the self-identification of Thai transgender people in discourses, whereas their powerlessness was exposed in the theme of mental and social care.