On Saturday (8 March), activists in Chiang Mai staged an International Women’s Day march from Tha Pae gate to the Three Kings Monument carrying signs calling attention to gender equality issues, from abortion rights and the legalization of sex work to calling for support for women facing violence in Myanmar.

The march was organized by the Northern Labour Network, the MAP Foundation, the Empower Foundation, the Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF), and other civil society groups.

Chananad Chotsuwanrat from the queer feminist group Sapphic Pride said that there needs to be more visibility for issues relating to queer women in Thailand and that she would like gender issues to be viewed through an intersectional lens.

Napatporn Pannao, a participant in the march, said that there need to be more changes when it comes to women’s rights issues, and that people must come together for change, such as for welfare issues like access to sanitary products and abortion rights.

Momo, another participant from Myanmar, joined the march in solidarity with the movement for women’s rights, noting that women in Myanmar are currently unable to celebrate International Women’s Day, which is a day for gender equality, because they are facing violence and their lives are not safe.