Gay Thailand: disver everythg travelers need to know - KAYAK

Contents:

• GAY THAILAND
• HOMOSEXUALITY AND GAY LIFE IN THAILAND
• BANGKOK GAY NIGHTLIFE
• GAY PHET
• TWO-FACED THAILAND: THE UGLY SI OF 'ASIA’S GAY CAPAL'
• GAYS THAILAND: IS A LGBT IENDLY UNTRY FOR TOURISM?

GAY THAILAND

Gay vatns Thailand be varied lotns, opportuni to meet the Thai people, tasty and healthy food, and the mararie of a lively, iendly, gay group.

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. Acrdg to “Encyclopedia of Sexualy: Thailand”: Although homosexual behavr Thailand is assumed to be que mon, ltle formal rearch has been done. 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).

“Same-genr sexual experience do not necsarily rry the assumptn of homosexualy or a homosexual inty Thailand (Strai, Brown, and Vilak 1991). 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.

HOMOSEXUALITY AND GAY LIFE IN THAILAND

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. 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.

BANGKOK GAY NIGHTLIFE

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. To reveal one's homosexual orientatn to one's parents would, a sense, vlate the Third Precept of Buddhism, and this has ed many Thai gays and lbians to hi their homosexualy om their parents for fear of g them sorrow (Allyn 1991). Th, a person's homosexual sex, per se, may be easier for his or her fay than other more visible featur, such as long-term same-genr relatnships (Jackson 1989) or g out as an openly gay or lbian person.

Dpe some ambivalence toward homosexualy many Buddhist cultur, Cabezón (1993) not Buddhism only nmns homosexualy more for beg an stance of sexualy rather than s same-genr sex.

GAY PHET

Cabezón further not that, as far as the lay are ncerned, homosexualy is rarely mentned as a transgrsn of the Third Precept Buddhist texts and oral mentari.

As for other sectns of the Buddhist non, John Garret Jon has nclud that there is an implic affirmatn om the silence regardg homosexualy, and the silence is certaly not due to the lack of material.

“Whereas the non is silent about homosexualy, the Jataka lerature, which the prevly mentned tale of Prce Vsantara is embedd, is replete wh sentiments about same-genr affectn. For example, some Thai people have heard that a man who acknowledg his homosexualy will be nied Buddhist ordatn, although such stanc may have been very rare or never enforced.

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

In a Buddhist unti like Thailand, many people have wonred whether gay marriage laws uld be applied the untry acrdance wh Theravada Buddhism.

GAYS THAILAND: IS A LGBT IENDLY UNTRY FOR TOURISM?

When news spread around the entire Buddhist muny that he was homosexual, the Buddha was alerted to the problem and he issued a le for the muny not to give any ordatn to a homosexual, and those ordaed gays are to be expelled. Based on this prciple, homosexual people should not be discrimated agast; they are humans who serve all the rights and digny endowed upon them as members of human race.

This do not mean that Thai Buddhists are supportive of gay rights and homosexual marriage, or that liberal activists will be succsful their social mpaign.