An army officer writes a number on the arm of Thanompong, a 21-year-old transgender woman, during an army draft held at a school in Klong Toey, the dockside slum area in Bangkok, Sunday. Thai men over 21 must serve in the army. Those who volunteer serve only six months, but others choose the annual lottery, which goes on for ten days in recruitment centers around Thailand. Only those not considered physically capable of service, the mentally ill and those who have significantly altered their physical appearance, such as trans women, are exempt. |
