Thailand, one of the most visited Asian countries, depends on the tourism economy as it is a thriving industry. It is one of the most exotic places to visit, from their food to their clothes. The country preserves its culture. It is known for its magnificent sacred temples, popular shopping areas, relaxing spas, fine cuisine and is home to some of the best hotels in the world. It is a land of liberation and freedom. The term “Thai” means freedom. In translation, the name of the country is the land of freedom. It is an enriching country as it neighbors other destinations to visit such as Laos, Singapore and Malaysia. They are thriving when it comes to tourism, but visitors have noticed that transgender people are quite numerous compared to other countries. Many foreigners associate Thailand with ladyboys, a term for a transgender woman. Transgender “means or relates to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender do not correspond to their birth sex.” The question of why there are so many transgender people in Thailand is simple. Locals were asked if ladyboys are common in Thailand. Gathering their responses, it becomes clear that Thailand offers the possibility of being free in matters of sexuality, hence the meaning of the country's name. Because of freedom, if they are able to express themselves more, the more outsiders will see their expression. People also don't explicitly object to it, given that there are laws in Thailand that support transgender people, known as the Gender Equality Act. It was adopted on March 13, 2015. It prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation; the first law in Thailand to include LGBTQ people. Thailand has started to present itself as a country where all kinds of gender identities and sexual orientations are welcome. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay LGBTQ history even dates back almost 700 years and is documented. "According to a report on being LGBTQ in Asia, Thais began identifying what we now call transgender as early as the 14th century, but Western influence and ideas, such as the criminalization of homosexuality, made their way to Thailand in the 19th century. It was only after World War II that the LGBTQ community really began to become visible in Thailand” (UNDP 2014). Bangkok, is the center of the ladyboy and gay community However, there has not been full acceptance and prejudice still exists in Thai society. One of the factors influencing society is religion. “More than 95% of the Thai population practices Theravada Buddhism, which does not necessarily welcome this community with open arms. Many Buddhists believe that transgender people must pay for their wrongdoings in their past lives” (Iverson 2017). Over time, citizens of Bangkok or big cities start to neglect and be quite tolerant towards the transgender and LGBTQ community. Realistically, it was during the Ayutthaya period that one of the scholars mentioned the lesbian relationship between the concubine. The king concluded that they should be whipped 50 times if they acted with their same-sex lover; However, some members of the royal family have not hidden their sexuality, which has led to familiarity with homosexuality. Moving to modern times, Thailand now has a higher acceptance rate of the LGBTQ community. In the 2015 survey,researchers “found that nearly 89% of Thais would accept LGBTQ colleagues, 80% would not mind if a family member was LGBTQ, and 60% supported legalizing same-sex marriage” (Diego ). The acceptance percentage has increased and become normalized in social media. Despite Thais' fame for their freedom to express their sexuality, they are known for being one of the worst sex trafficking countries in the world. There are a large number of sex workers in the mainly tourist and entertainment areas. The problem of sex trafficking dates back to the ancient times of the Ayutthaya era (1350-1767). Even though Thailand had abundant resources to profit from, the transportation or trade of prostitution still proved more profitable and was therefore legal. Most of the time, Thai kings had a polygamous monarchical system, in which they could have multiple wives in order to perpetuate the royal lineage. During this period, women were treated as property or as sex slaves responsible for any sexual services. As Thailand became more prosperous and grew, countries around the world began to recognize its prostitution activity. Countries around the world, such as Britain, signed the Bowring Treaty of 1855. It established businesses with workers from southern China who eventually emigrated to Thailand. After the treaty, Thailand began to prosper, increasing the number of new clients seeking sexual services. During the reign of King Rama IV, women were known as "women in office". These were the ones women could sell through their masters. These women had to serve their master or any other male guest of the master. Overall, Thailand has become a sex slave society. Most of the women sold into the industry were from the peasant class, from families in debt, had been kidnapped or punished for a crime. This led to the widespread use of sexual slavery during the Siamese period. However, under King Rama V, slavery was abolished, but prostitution did not decrease. Women felt that they should raise their families and pay off family debt using this practical route. This has become the most common reason why women are still in the sex industry today. Due to the lack of education and financial resources that women could receive in ancient times, women fall back on the easy way out to survive. In the 19th century, the absolute monarchy ended in 1902, becoming a constitutional monarchy. This change improved the legal restriction; However, this has not stopped the country's growing sexual entertainment industry from thriving. In the 1960s and 1970s, the famous red light district, a rest stop for many American troops during the Vietnam War. Although Thailand joined the UN and faced pressure to make prostitution illegal, it did not stop the expansion of commercial sex tourism. “It went from around 20,000 women working in the sex trade in the late 1950s to 171,000 in 1964.” Another service provided by the company was a temporary bride for soldiers, providing them with sexual services and performing household chores in exchange for money and gifts. From American and foreign perspectives, this popular street and business created the low and priceless social status of Thai women. However, in 1996, “the Thai government implemented the Entertainment Venues Act. This law allowed law enforcement officials to inspect these locations and shut them down if they discovered sexual services were being conducted...