InterPride's first Thai transgender co-president has warned that global LGBTQ+ rights are at a critical crossroads, urging solidarity against rising hatred.
Koko Tiamsai, the first Thai and Asian transgender woman to hold the co-presidency, delivered the opening remarks at the WorldPride 2026 ceremony at Museumplein in Amsterdam on Tuesday.
She warned that rights secured through generations of struggle were being threatened by rising extremism, creating new platforms for hatred and discrimination.
"Democracies are being tested, and LGBTQIA+ people are once again being turned into political targets," Ms Koko said.
She highlighted the risks faced by attendees from countries where their identities or relationships remain criminalised, noting some could face severe punishment, including the death penalty, when they return home.
"For some, returning home will mean returning to that reality," she said.
The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress Foundation lists 66 countries where same-sex relationships and gender-diverse people remain criminalised. In Southeast Asia, Myanmar, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia retain such laws.
She urged LGBTQ+ people worldwide to remain firm in their beliefs and strengthen solidarity across borders despite attempts to suppress or marginalise them.
She stressed the movement was not seeking exclusive rights, but the basic right to live with freedom, dignity, equality and justice.
"History has proven that every attempt to erase us has only made our movement stronger," she said.
"We are not asking for permission to exist. We are claiming what has always been ours: freedom, dignity, equality and justice."
Ms Koko described WorldPride as an important platform to exchange ideas, share experiences and build solidarity beyond national borders.
"Their struggles are different, but their message is the same: We will continue to organise. We will continue to advocate.
"We will continue to stand together. Because none of us is truly free until all of us are free," she said.
WorldPride 2026 ran from July 25 to Saturday in Amsterdam. Bangkok and Barcelona are competing to host WorldPride 2030.
