Inclusive Well-Being, Ending Stigma: ‘Plathong Sukontee,’ Naruemit Ambassador 2026, Advances Sexual Health Rights from Phitsanulok toward WorldPride 2030
- Plathong–Sukontee Sukploy, a Phitsanulok-based staff member of the Mplus Foundation and Naruemit Ambassador 2026
● Plathong works to prevent HIV, AIDS, and sexually transmitted infections while challenging stigma and discrimination against LGBTQIAN+ people and people living with HIV.
● The Mplus Foundation advances Comprehensive Sexuality Education so children and young people can understand diversity, respect human dignity, and move beyond a strictly male–female framework.
● Plathong believes sexual health must be supported alongside physical and mental health, especially through safe, medically supervised gender-affirming hormone care that is accessible through the public healthcare system.
● Plathong believes WorldPride 2030 can help society recognize the structural challenges faced by vulnerable communities and accelerate concrete action on discrimination and sexual health rights.
Plathong–Sukontee Sukploy, a Phitsanulok-based staff member of the Mplus Foundation and a Naruemit Ambassador 2026, works in civil society with a focus on HIV, AIDS, and sexually transmitted infection prevention under the goal of Ending AIDS. This mission goes hand in hand with ending stigma and discrimination against LGBTQIAN+ people and people living with HIV in all forms. Today, the Mplus Foundation works across Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Bangkok to help ensure that everyone can access information, prevention, and health services equally—without having their worth diminished because of their gender identity or health status.
At the regional level, Pride is more than a celebration of identity. It is also a platform where communities can unite, showcase their potential, and communicate their calls for change in creative ways. Phitsanulok has hosted Pride activities every year, including creative events and a parade at Central Phitsanulok. There are also plans to expand the festival to a public park along the Nan River, creating a more welcoming and accessible space where people from Phitsanulok and nearby provinces can participate and feel that Pride truly belongs to everyone.
For Plathong, the heart of social change is building equality without stigma, devaluation, or discrimination—whether based on gender identity or health status. Thailand is showing encouraging progress as communities, government agencies, and private organizations develop a stronger understanding of gender diversity and become more ready to welcome visitors from around the world without prejudice. Yet sustainable change must begin early, with families and schools working together to create safe environments where every child can learn and grow without being confined by gender norms.
For this reason, the Mplus Foundation advocates for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) so that children and young people understand diversity as a natural part of human life, move beyond a strictly male–female framework, and learn to live alongside others with respect for each person’s dignity, differences, and rights. Inclusive education not only helps reduce prejudice in the classroom; it also lays the foundation for a new generation ready to build a society where no one is left behind.
Beyond pride in one’s identity, Plathong emphasizes that sexual health is an essential dimension of life that must be supported alongside physical and mental health. This includes access to necessary services for LGBTQIAN+ people, such as safe, medically supervised gender-affirming hormone care. These services should not be treated as privileges; they should be recognized as fundamental rights and made available without cost through the public healthcare system.
As Thailand bids to host WorldPride 2030 through the collaboration of Bangkok Pride and the six Naruemit Ambassadors, Plathong believes this global event can become far more than a milestone of celebration. It can serve as a powerful catalyst for government and society to recognize the structural challenges faced by vulnerable communities, accelerate action against discrimination, and close gaps in access to sexual health rights—turning equality from an aspiration into tangible change in people’s lives across the country.
Plathong–Sukontee Sukploy is a Phitsanulok-based staff member of the Mplus Foundation and a Naruemit Ambassador 2026. Plathong advances HIV, AIDS, and STI prevention while working to end stigma and discrimination, advocating for comprehensive sexuality education, equitable access to gender-affirming healthcare, and the power of regional Pride movements as foundations for Thailand’s inclusive path toward WorldPride 2030.