I uld hear my neighbour scream hysterilly when our women's volleyball team beat Japan to be crowned Asian Champns last Saturday. It was simply the bt game the tournament, and the long-legged ladi ma the natn and their fans _ a lot of them gay _ proud, pecially me.
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THE UNOFFICIAL GAYT SPORT: VOLLEYBALL
It was simply the bt game the tournament, and the long-legged ladi ma the natn and their fans _ a lot of them gay _ proud, pecially me. Volleyball is somehow one of the most popular sports among gay people. Wh volleyball makg headl everywhere this week, brought back memori of one of the most groundbreakg Thai gay films, The Iron Ladi, or Satree Lek, released 2000.
When me out 13 years ago, was screened at many film ftivals around the globe, many of them LGBT-orientated, and also played a part bunkg the ia that Thai cema is all about "gays and ghosts" _ a gross generalisatn. Directed by Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, The Iron Ladi is based on the te story of a volleyball team om Lampang that prised gay and transgenr members, and only one heterosexual player, that won the Thai Volleyball Natnal Champnship 1996. In the film, we are troduced to each member of the team _ om an open transvte to a baret showgirl, an out gay ary man and a closeted Thai-Che gay, and a straight team pta who is a key character, reprentg the many people who aren't happy to be around gays until he gets to know his teammat better and learns how they stggle to fight for their dreams.
MALMö GAY VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
However, was the first film that tackled the genr issue om a different perspective, where gay characters were the centre of the story which allowed them a strong voice. Sce 2000, there's been a number of betiful and scere LGBT-themed films produced Thailand (though still many others that ntue to explo gay antics as cheap humour), and openly gay and transgenr figur today are much more visible and admired than before.
Parya is one of our first gay sports celebri, and people learned to like her not jt bee of her sexualy or the "eccentric" look of a boxer wh red lips and pated fgernails but bee of her skill and ferocy as a fighter. The qutn I would like to ask the people is: Will you like them any ls if they are gay?
And n athlet be openly gay and be accepted for who they are?