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Matcha Phorn-in is a feminist human rights defender, a proud indigenous and ethnic minority lesbian woman, and the founder and executive director of Sangsan Anakot Yawachon, a civil society organization based in northern Thailand.
Born along the Thailand–Laos border and having worked for over two decades at the Thailand–Myanmar border, Matcha has experienced intersecting forms of marginalization based on her ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation since childhood. But rather than break her, these lived realities shaped her life’s mission.
“Instead of breaking me, these experiences built my purpose: to ensure no young person grows up believing they are worth less because of who they are,” she says.
Matcha leads transformative work rooted in feminist, human rights, and digital rights education. She has empowered thousands of Indigenous women and girls, stateless, LGBTIQ+, and young feminists, particularly those affected by the ongoing armed conflict along the Thailand–Myanmar border.
Matcha’s activism is deeply personal. Raised by a single mother, she now shares her life with her wife, Veerawan Wanna, and their daughter, Siriwan Phornin. Together, they are challenging restrictive gender norms, heteronormativity, and advocating for family equality.
“Our rainbow family is a living example of love, resistance, and power, a reminder that families built on care and courage can thrive and lead even in the face of adversity,” she says,” she says.
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