Thammasat University has been ordered to hire a transgender lecturer after losing a judgement in the Central Administrative Court.
Kathawut Krungpiboon took the university and its executive board to court after she was denied a placement as a lecturer in the Faculty of Social Administration despite having passed the qualification screening in March 2015.
However, the court ruled Thursday that the rejection was not based on the plaintiff's sexual orientation but on the messages she posted on her Facebook and Instagram pages attacking the university's lecturer admission process.
The court insisted social media provides a communication channel through which Ms Kathawut as an individual has the right to express opinions, as guaranteed by the constitution. However, the person must be legally accountable for the opinions under the law.
The court acknowledged the university board did not reject Ms Kathawut on the basis of her sexuality. The court found the messages may have contained impolite language. However, the apparent severity of the language did not give the university enough reason to deem her being in "deficit" in her moral conduct.
