Turns out, Barbieland isn't as gay as s queer fans had hoped

Contents:

• TWO-FACED THAILAND: THE UGLY SI OF 'ASIA’S GAY CAPAL'
• HOMOSEXUALITY AND GAY LIFE IN THAILAND
• TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED
• GAYS THAILAND: IS A LGBT IENDLY UNTRY FOR TOURISM?

TWO-FACED THAILAND: THE UGLY SI OF 'ASIA’S GAY CAPAL'

The prence of Boys Love seri, a unique drama genre that picts homoerotic relatnships between male characters, has creased signifintly recent years. Thai Boys Love is a lol appropriatn of yaoi, the Japan-origatg form of homoerotic fictn that revolv around the romantic narrativ between a mascule boy (lled “e”) and a more feme boy (lled “seme”). He’s also the md behd GMMTV’s LGBTQ productns, many of which have been praised for their plex and thought-provokg narrativ, cludg Gay OK Bangkok.

Although the ma gay scene is ncentrated Bangkok, the equally betiful getaways Phet, Koh Samet, and Pattaya are also worth a vis for LGBTQ travelers. Silom Soi 2 is home to most of Bangkok’s gay clubs, and the whole street is almost like a club plex, so you need to pay to get to the street self.

Baan Souy Rort is one of the only official gay hotels Pattaya (of urse, straight people are also wele), and s staff n give you sir tips on the cy’s gay scene. Thailand has been marketg self recent years as a “pk” tourist statn, a untry iendly to queer travelers seekg everythg om gay go-go bars to bety pageants featurg trans women (known Thailand as “kathoey” or “ladyboys”.

HOMOSEXUALITY AND GAY LIFE IN THAILAND

)And the strategy seems to be year, foreigners scend on Bangkok’s gay bars drov, and many flock to the untry’s clics to unrgo genr nfirmatn activists say this queer-iendly image is only sk ep. “There is a quote [that says] that Thai society unofficially accepts, but officially rejects, gay and lbian people, ” Anjana Suvarnananda, print of LGBT rights group Anjaree, told Phet News 2013.

TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED

”LGBT activists say, however, that the new law, though very posive, is but a small step forward for the are still no laws or polici place protectg LGBT people on the grounds of sexual orientatn Thailand, which crimalized homosexualy the 1950s. Speakg to the Bangkok Post, activist Naiyana Supapung relled a se of a gay child who tried to kill himself by drkg sectici after he was “huiated by a teacher who had orred him to stop speakg and actg like a girl.

One of the worst sex sndals ever Thailand took place 1819, durg the reign of Kg Rama II, when a high-rankg monk, a Somt, was found guilty of enjoyg homosexual activi wh some of his good-lookg male discipl. 1992), extremely low rat of male homosexual behavr were reported; the thors utned that, due to societal attus, the timat were probably too low and reflected the rearch participants' unrreportg of homoerotic and homosexual experienc (the prevalence of same-genr sexual behavr will be further reviewed below). A public statement of homosexual inty would vlate two important valu of Thai culture: harmony - not to nont disagreements or nflicts - and the great value placed upon prervatn of fay uns and prervg leage through marriage and procreatn.

Allyn (1991) also ntends that the anti-homosexual attus the Thai society are primarily the discrimatn agast the feme kathoey, who, acrdg to stereotype, display overt and loud genr-atypil social manners. The “Encyclopedia of Sexualy: Thailand” reports: The attus toward homosexualy are que plex: On the one hand, the behavr is clearly stigmatized, and on the other, tolerated. “Overall, most ntemporary Thais view heterosexualy as the norm; homosexualy is seen as a viance or an unnatural act, often rultg om one's bad karma or the lack of mer past liv.

GAYS THAILAND: IS A LGBT IENDLY UNTRY FOR TOURISM?

Contemporary Thais still exprs their disapproval of homosexualy by sayg, often blhely, that “lightng will strike” those who engage sex wh a person of the same genr. This pathology mol of homosexualy most likely origated the Wtern psychiatric theori of sexualy which domated Wtern medice and psychology until the 1960s and 1970s. Many Thai physicians and psychologists still subscribe to the antiquated theori and rema imperv to new rearch fdgs or the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn's classifitn of homosexualy as a mental illns 1974.