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Sites and Insights Gay Thailand News & Reports 2007-08
Also see: 1 National Human Rights Commission of Thailand 2 Thailand Promises Elections This Year 3/07 4 Accepted and rejected A look at the acceptance and rejection of gay people in Phuket 4/07 5 AIDS activists in Thailand protest U.S. decision on copyright violators 5/07 6 Activists want gay rights in new constitution 5/07 7 Thailand takes a step away from democracy 5/07 (non-gay background story) 7a Gays to get equal status under new Thai charter 6/07 7b Happy Endings in the Land of Smiles 7/07 8 Thailand considers law allowing transsexual to claim title of adopted gender 8/07 9 Thai government considers new trans rights 8/07 10 Please call me "Miss," transgendered Thais say 9/07 11 Thailand's secret history 11/07 12 Thai crowned world's transsexual beauty queen 11/07 13 New Asia Pacific Statistics Reveal an Alarming Incidence of HIV in MSM 11/07 15 ILGA-Asia conference elects first regional board 2/08 16 ChiangMai, Thailand witnessed its first gay march 2/08 18 Call for action against bogus AIDS cures 3/08 19 New men's lifestyle TV programme to launch March 9 in Thailand 3/08 20 Thailand joins gay blood ban 4/08 21 Temporary ban on castration in Thailand 4/08 22 Fading Smiles: One Third of Thailand's Gays Threatened by HIV 4/08 As a result of struggles for political reform and democracy, particularly over decades the major social and academic movements in Thailand between 1996 and 1997, the 1997 Constitution was promulgated with the full guarantee of human dignity and all basic rights as well as fundamental freedoms for people. The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC) was established under Section 199 and 200 of the Constitution as a mechanism to guarantee the respect for human rights as stipulated therein. The 11 full-time Commissioners will be elected by the Senate from a short list of 22 people with extensive human rights experience, gender balance and pluralistic background. The Commission's statutory term of office is 6 years, and each Commissioner shall serve for only one term.
March 29, 2007 2 by Thomas Fuller “As of now, we will not declare a state of emergency,” Mr. Surayud told reporters after meeting with General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who led the September coup. “I gave my opinion that if the situation does not constitute an emergency that jeopardizes the stability of the country, we cannot use that law,” Mr. Surayud said. On Wednesday, General Sonthi declared that emergency measures were necessary in Bangkok to deal with protesters who have announced numerous rallies for the coming days. After comments late Wednesday suggesting that he might side with the general, Mr. Surayud took the opposite tack. He said he still had the power to declare a state of emergency, which would suspend civil laws, but that the current situation did not merit the move. Then he set a timetable for the return to democracy. A referendum on the constitution currently being drafted would take place no later than September, Mr. Surayud said, and elections could be held in December. Officials mentioned Dec.16 or Dec. 23. Mr. Surayud’s comments, broadcast live on national television, seemed designed to reassure Thais that the military government was not backing away from its promises of ceding power to a democratically elected government. Opposition to the government, although splintered, has become increasingly vocal. A group affiliated with Thailand’s ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, defied warnings from the military and the police today, vowing to step up its protests. Authorities said today they would close off access by the group to a parade ground. The group is largely made up of former officials of the political party that Mr. Thaksin led until the coup. Jatuporn Promporn, a spokesman for the pro-Thaksin group, said protesters had shifted their rally, scheduled for Friday, to an area in front of the city hall. The main aim was to force the government to allow them to allow broadcasts by a satellite television station, PTV. The military fears the station will become a mouthpiece for Mr. Thaksin. Other groups have called for a week of demonstrations starting April 5. Supporters of Mr. Thaksin, who has remained outside the country since the coup, scored an unexpected victory in a Bangkok court today when one of Mr. Thaksin’s chief antagonists, Sondhi Limthongkul, was sentenced to two years for defaming a former member of Mr. Thaksin’s government. Mr. Sondhi, the owner of the Manager Media Group, was freed on bail of 200,000 baht, or $6,200, pending an appeal. Mr. Sondhi led tens of thousands of protesters last year against Mr. Thaksin’s government. He was found guilty of defaming Phumtham Vechayachai, a former deputy transport minister, by falsely accusing him of being a former member of the Communist Party of Thailand and of involvement in undemocratic activity.
April 6, 2007 3 by Anjira Assavanonda, Bangkok Post Members of the Foundation of Family Networks lodged a complaint with the deputy prime minister when they met him at the Family Day event. They said they were shocked to find their children reading porn comics bought from the national book fair. Pranee Chaloeyjitratham, 49, said her 18-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter had bought dozens of the used comic books on Wednesday. They sold for 10 baht each, and customers buying 10 books would get one free. All the books were wrapped in plastic. "At first I thought they were just common cartoon books until I saw my children engrossed in reading them for the whole day," said Mrs Panee. "When I interrupted, they looked upset. So I flipped over some pages after they put the books down and found this pornography inside." She had not expected such material to be sold at the national book fair, which is said to help promote reading for children. Another parent, who did not give her name, said her seven-year-old son asked her what the characters were doing after reading one of the comics. She was shocked when he showed it to her. Thanachai Santichaikul, president of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand, the key organiser of the book fair, said he was sorry for what happened. The national book fair, which ends next Tuesday, had been held for over three decades and the problem was unprecedented. It was difficult for the organiser to check every book sold at the fair, given that there are more than 800 selling booths. "But we made it clear to every publisher and distributor that porn books are absolutely prohibited," said Mr Thanachai. He would meet the foundation committee to discuss the problem and decide what to do with the distributor. "Legal action is left to the police, but the foundation has its own rules. If we find the mistake to be intentional, the distributor could be banned from the event next time," he said. The owner of Rung Wattana Panich was not at the booth yesterday. A relative, Saowalak Rungthanapaiboon, said the shop sold used books which it bought in big lots from other publishers and distributors. They did not check the content of every book. "If I knew these porn comics were on shelves, I wouldn't be working here. And I think the owner might not know either," said Ms Saowalak.
April 7, 2007 4 by Aparna Raut Desai What better place to start than at the very helm of the official gay society in Phuket, with Mr. Daniel See, the organising chairman of the Phuket Pride festival. Daniel is the face of the ( ) club just off Song Roi Pee road in Patong. Hailing from Singapore, he lived in Hawaii for seven years, working as a marketing head promoting Hawaii as a holiday destination. His job took him all over the world, before he decided to go back to Singapore, where, predictably enough, for someone who has grown accustomed to a beach paradise lifestyle, he didn't last very long. And hence Phuket. But why not say, Bali or any other beach destination in Asia? Daniel admits to having considered running a business in Bali and other locations before coming to the conclusion that it was always really only going to be Phuket. As for why, he finds that an easy question to answer. In one word, Thais. The magnificently generous and accepting people of Thailand, that always let you be who you are, no matter what you are or are not. All Asian countries, Daniel concedes, are culturally very rich, and each has it's very own unique attracions. But Thailand has to be the most openly accepting of them all. Which other culture throws open it's arms and embraces every kind of person, not just letting them be, but letting them be on their own terms? The acceptance here is complete and unconditional. "I mean just look at the katoeys" (also known as lady-boys), says Daniel. "So many of them, everywhere... this place is so open, it's just impossible to find anywhere else." The level of freedom and right of existence is just incredible. "You know" he exclaims rhetorically, for of course I hadn't a clue, "a lot of men here call themselves straight even if they are with a katoey partner... any place else and that wouldn't even be possible." They would be labelled and slotted instantly. How about gay people that come from countries where homosexuality is not taboo... does Phuket still have anything to offer them? I posed the questions to all the gay westerners I met, and the answer was a ubiquitous 'yes'. Unlike Pattaya, where gay tourism is linked irreversibly with sex-trade, Phuket offers gays, like everyone else, a holiday or a lifestyle beyond the go-go bars and the pick-up joints. I was told repeatedly how easy and relaxed it is to be gay in Phuket. No judgements, no regiments. Phuket allows a lifestyle on par with one anywhere in the West, with a friends' circle comprising equally of gay and straight individuals, and daily lives filled with all the fun activities that go with living on a beach destination. Trevor and Jason, a gay couple who moved to Phuket from Australia two years ago, together with their Thai business partner set up a bar - the "Sby Corner" at the Paradise complex, Patong. Their pub caters to tourists and expats exactly like themselves, who want to be in Phuket and be able to relax and enjoy themselves without having to be forced into the transactions of the gay sex trade. With a bar staff that is entirely straight, and therefore not looking for potential "clients", customers can come here and enjoy other gay company without being hustled or harassed. The Club One Seven Bed & Breakfast run by Daniel operates on similar principles. It's a hotel that offers gays (and straight people, Daniel is quick to reassure me) a real holiday environment, with genuine hospitality. With an entirely straight staff here as well, it promotes itself and Phuket as a whole, as a holiday venue, and categorically not as a sex-trade spot. "That's why we have such a lot of young gay tourists in Phuket, as compared to Pattaya, which attracts mainly an older generation of gays." Phuket is a holiday destination that transcends the sex-trade. What higher tribute can Daniel pay to Phuket and it's Thai people, when he says that it is in fact here, that he chose to finally come out of the closet? Was that difficult at all, I query? The reason it happened was because it was so easy, he replies. It took no effort at all, it was so natural, to just be himself. "Why am I hiding myself?" he found himself thinking. "That's what this place and its people give you. Nobody teases you, nobody harasses you and everybody accepts you completely, for what you are." So that was that, I thought. Phuket can pretty much put itself up to be voted as the most gay friendly place in the world. Or can it? Simply because it was the logical route to follow, taking the story from the tourist/holiday scene to the local one, I asked Jason and Trevor if there was any difference at all between the foreign gays and gay Thai people. And ended up opening a right little can of worms. Thai gay men I was informed, are far less gregarious and far more introverted than western gay men. Is this possibly because they are shy, I wondered aloud. Possibly, they demurred, but more like because they are not always comfortable or able to expose themselves for being homosexual. Well. Hmm. Right. What???? But different from Bangkok? Yes. Tara explains how Bangkok, as a metropolitan city, is far more open about issues such as being gay. For the locals in particular, that is. Citing the difference between his own experience of growing up in Bangkok, and that of his partner in Phuket, Tara says that he never had a problem explaining to his family that he was gay. He'd been aware of this aspect of his nature from an early age, and remembers his family as being completely accepting and supportive. His boyfriend, on the other hand, never managed to tell his family until he was 25 years of age! And even then, only because Tara moved to Phuket to be with him, and there was simply no concealing it from them anymore. And how did they take it? It wasn't a complete disaster, chuckles Tara, but it definitely was uncomfortable for a while. “But I was very nice to them and after some time they liked me,” he grins. Why do you think the attitudes differ from Bangkok to Phuket, I ask him. Bangkok is a big city, he says, and a busy one. People there have more individual freedom within their professional, personal and social lives, simply because the community is not as small and cloistered as here. In Phuket, everyone knows everyone, and what everyone is doing. In Bangkok, people are just not as interested in other peoples' lives. Less interference, less pressure, more freedom. It was definitely time to meet with people indigenous to the island and get their story straight from the source. Sammy works for a public limited company in Phuket. Born, raised and bred here, he was exactly what I was looking for. A real gay Phuketian. In a refreshingly straight and frank discussion, Sammy was far from reticent about outlining the problems faced by the many gay people of Phuket. In work as well as the social arena, Sammy admits he has never been able to reveal himself completely. He's had a range of experiences as a gay employee... from working for people who were aware and almost-accepting of his status, but encouraged him to keep a low profile on this aspect of his personality, to employers who were blatantly homophobic. He has always been aware of the stigma that comes with being gay, and the need to play his true nature down. Does this make him angry? No, he surprises me by saying, simply because he accepts what it is to be gay in Phuket, and the life that comes with it. He understands that the Thai culture, which is traditional and conservative in its outlook, has a long way to go before it could accommodate homosexuals into its fold. So how come it's so different for tourists and foreigners that live here, I muse. Because they are not part of the culture, Sammy says, voicing my exact thoughts and, I realise ruefully, stating the obvious. Here and welcome, and part of the society... peripherally, but in no way considered part of the culture. “Thai people don't care what foreigners do, they can be whatever they like.” And what of his family? Sammy outlines a heart-rending story: aware of his inclinations from a very young age, he fought a battle for acceptance from the very beginning. His family never really could come to terms with him being homosexual, and spent years trying to change what he simply could not help. “They knew, they knew” Sammy looks back, “but they closed their eyes and tried to forget, tried to make it not real.” Complete denial. With time, Sammy tired of the continual battle and resorted to what has become a typical situation for gays in Phuket; a double life. He lived a continual and exhausting charade for a number of years, where his family could continue to live with the version that suited it, while Sammy contrived to keep his reality as secret as possible. And this I found, as I spoke to more and more gay Thai people, was the reality of a lot of their lives. A family in denial, a split life spent between a social charade and a personal reality. Whether gay or lesbian, Thai homosexuals struggle to find acceptance. Speaking to a lesbian couple who chose the remain anonymous, I was told a similar story; expulsion, ostracism, rejection. All within the family. And how do they feel about this? Let down, I was told, repeatedly. As they pointed out, they're not criminals. They're not even part of the sex trade. They are dignified, self-respecting individuals that work for a living and contribute to the society. So why can they not be accepted for themselves? Phuket is a society divided in its attitudes to this difficult issue. On the one hand is the famed Thai tolerance. The generous granting of dignity and acceptance to one and all. And on the other hand lies a traditional and conservative society, that has stringent rules and norms. Men and women are meant to come together and bear children. Couple raise their progeny and children grow up to be a support in their old-age. A beautiful family scenario – and we all know how strong family bonds are in Thailand – juxtaposes with the gay way of life, where progeny are not part of the plan. The two are so glaringly different, one so old and well-entrenched, the other so modern and alien, the island of Phuket has a long, long journey to make, indeed, before it affords the same freedom that it gives so generously to foreigners to their own. Let me, however, not be too judgmental. I come from a country (India) where homosexuality is generally considered a dirty myth. Simply announcing yourself as gay may actually invite a torrent of homophobic reactions, possibly even violent. Sammy told me of the time he spent in Ireland, where it was impossible for him to get a job, simply because he was gay. What's holding acceptance back in Phuket has more to do with tradition than bigotry. A small, closely knit society will always be slower at adapting newer and more radical changes than a larger, more progressive one. Phuketians are just too kind and generous to intentionally disallow anyone the right to be happy. Already, I was told a few (rare, but real) accounts of families in Phuket that have embraced their gay members unconditionally. This has to be a start. I believe the Thai spirit will transcend this general inability to accept that they do indeed have homosexuals amongst their own, and that they too, deserve dignity and respect. Time will tell. In the meanwhile, for gay westerners and other gay foreigners in Phuket, life is good. And for their Thai counterparts... the battle rages on. May 11,
2007 “The U.S. government is the devil disguised as a priest ... they want to please the pharmaceutical companies who only care about maximum profit,” said Nimit Tien-udom, director of AIDS Access Foundation. “Where is the concern for the dignity of human lives that the U.S. always preach about? We are here to support the government’s decision — a lifesaver for many people living with AIDS,” Nimit said. About 30 protesters chanted and carried placards with slogans such as “Evil USA, stop threatening access to treatment in Thailand.” They dispersed peacefully after about two hours. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont insisted on May 3 that the government would stand by its decision to break patents on three drugs, including the AIDS drugs Kaletra produced by Abbott Laboratories and Efavirenz by Merck. Both are American companies.
May 26, 2007 6 The new constitution must recognise the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered, gay rights activists urged yesterday. The equality clause in the draft constitution only endorses equal rights between men and women. By Sanitsuda Ekachai The new constitution must recognise the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered, gay rights activists urged yesterday. The equality clause in the draft constitution only endorses equal rights between men and women. ''There should be an additional clause to recognise diverse sexuality, which will help ease the problems of discrimination we are facing,'' said Anjana Suvarnanonda, founder of Anjaree, an advocacy group of female homosexuals. The National Human Rights Commission also supports the move to amend the draft charter so the gay community is accorded the same rights as heterosexuals, said human rights commissioner Khunying Ambhorn Meesook. Kittinan
Tharamatat from Fah Si Roong (Rainbow Sky),
a
gay rights advocacy group, said that if the new charter
recognises diverse sexuality and mandates equal rights for the
gay community,
various other, discriminatory laws will also have to
be amended. The law, he added, must also be subsequently amended to legalise same- sex marriage, thus allowing homosexual partners to have inheritance rights. At present, when one of the partners dies, his or her money and other assets go to the family of the deceased. Job discrimination against homosexuals and the transgendered will also become illegal if the new constitution addresses the issue, he added. ''Right now we, the transgendered, have a very limited work choice. The constitutional change will help protect us against this discrimination,'' said Tanyarat Jirapatpakorn, Miss Tiffany Universe 2007, a transsexual beauty queen. Meanwhile, Chantalak Raksayoo of the Sapan Group stressed how important it was for the constitution to clearly state a specific timeframe for legal amendments to recognise diverse sexuality and gay rights. ''Otherwise such rights will exist only on paper,'' she said. According to Ms Anjana, half of young people who attempted suicide in Thailand were homosexuals and transgendered people who could not put up with severe pressure and condemnation from their own families and society. In addition to legal changes, Prof Suporn Koetwang, a noted public health expert, called for better public education to rein in homophobia among the general public. Sawing Tan-oot, a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and the Constitution Drafting Assembly, will propose the clause on gay rights be included in the draft charter. But many NLA members still do not understand the concepts of gender and diverse sexuality, he said.
As voters may see it, the country's most popular party has been destroyed by a court set up by the military junta that seized power last year, claiming to be rescuing democracy. A week before the tribunal's rulings, Thailand's revered King Bhumibol intervened, giving warning that his realm was "close to sinking" and noting that "political parties must exist". This raised hopes that the tribunal would stop short of dissolving either main party, and punish only individual politicians. Those hopes have been dashed. In four months of hearings, the tribunal examined allegations of misbehaviour by the accused parties during a snap election Mr Thaksin had called in April last year. The Democrats and other parties boycotted the election, claiming it would be unfair. The courts later found grounds to annul the results, after the king urged them to sort out the "mess". TRT was accused among other things of bribing small parties to take part in the election, while the Democrats were accused of inducing leaders of smaller parties to make false accusations against TRT. After the coup, the junta, led by the army chief, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, replaced the Constitutional Court with a new tribunal, whose judges it selected, and told it to pursue the electoral-fraud cases. The junta also appointed an interim government of old soldiers and bureaucrats; and created a temporary parliament and another unelected body to write a new constitution. The generals
also set up investigations into the allegations of corruption and
abuse of power by the Thaksin administration, while their interim
government sought to borrow some of its policies, such as cheap
health
care and development funds for rural villages, which had made "Thaksinomics" so
popular. However, although the corruption investigations have unearthed
enough evidence to press charges, they failed to find enough of a "smoking
gun" to wreck Mr Thaksin's reputation irreparably. Meanwhile,
the interim government has dithered and bungled, dragging down the
economy and making Thaksinomics, for all its other flaws, look good.
And Mr Thaksin, through a series of stunts such as bidding for Britain's
Manchester City football club, has ensured he is not forgotten. But other unpopular provisions--such as having the Senate appointed by judges and bureaucrats rather than elected--remain in the draft. So voters, angry at the destruction of the party many support, may reject the proposed charter in the referendum the junta is promising to hold. The mobilisation of police and soldiers ordered by the jumpy generals to head off protests, and their censorship of pro-Thaksin websites and radio stations, may not be enough to prevent rising popular unrest against the regime, despite Mr Thaksin's call on his supporters to accept the verdict. Local newspapers had quoted one of the nine judges as saying they would "apply the spirit" of the coup-makers in making their rulings. This, plus the severity of the punishment meted out to Mr Thaksin and his party, and the absolution of the Democrats, will only raise suspicions that the destruction of TRT was a pre-determined outcome. Hopes of a peaceful move back to democracy have dimmed. See this article with graphics and related items at http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9265431
June 29, 2007 7a Bangkok(Reuters) - Writers of Thailand's post-coup constitution agreed on Friday to give gay, lesbian, transgender and transvestite groups official status in the new charter to try to end discrimination. Along with a guarantee of equal rights for men and women, the 100-member drafting council voted unanimously to include a reference to "those of other sexual identities" in the new charter, due to be put to Thailand's first referendum in August. "This council has already guaranteed equal rights for the disabled, so why can't we give the same treatment to those who have sexual preferences," said charter write Chirmsak Pinthong, who sponsored the idea. Earlier this month, the council rejected a proposal to guarantee the rights of those with various sexual orientations, saying it would create a legal status of a "third sex". Gay rights groups welcomed the inclusion, saying it would pave the way for fairer treatment. "The clause will guarantee our basic rights that have been ignored for such a long time," Natee Teerarojjanapongs of the Thai Political Gay Group told Reuters in tears. "We hope it will help end all sorts of discrimination against us," said Natee, who said he and his male partner were refused life insurance by a number of companies who viewed homosexuals as carrying a far higher risk than heterosexuals. On the surface, Thailand appears very tolerant of homosexuality, with many openly gay celebrities. Transvestites, or "katoeys" as they are called in Thai, are commonplace in offices, schools and on television, and Bangkok is a world centre of sex-change surgery. However, the predominantly Buddhist country remains deeply conservative at heart and still had many rules and regulations discriminating against non-heterosexuals, gays activists say. Transvestites are barred from compulsory military service, but army chiefs made a small concession two years ago, branding them "physically unfit" rather than "permanently insane". However, many cross-dressers turned away before 2005 still carry the "permanently insane" stamp on their military draft cards -- documents needed for job applications. The inclusion of the gay rights in the draft constitution came a day after a Thai gay rights group launched a boycott of a Bangkok night club run by European hotel chain after bouncers refused entry to a male transvestite. The club denied any discrimination.
July 6,2007 7b As the world becomes increasingly inter-connected, I think it's important to start highlighting global advances in sexuality. Seems like a good place to start is approx. 8k miles due West of here: Thailand. Thailand is a country that is known for it's beautiful beaches, scrumptious food, hospitable people and sex workers. Sex work is a viable economic option for men, women and 'lady-boys' (mtf transsexuals). With sexuality moving out into the open, this conservative Buddhist country, has found the need to respond. And they have. A few sexuality-related policy changes have occurred in Thailand recently: 1) June 29th marked a huge victory for the Thai LGBT community when the government recommended adding a provision to the constitution that safeguards people of "other sexual identities" from discrimination. If adopted, this means that Thailand will become one of only four nations that have such a provision (the US is not one of those). "Other sexual identities" being identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people Many people credit LGBT activists Natee Theerarojnapong and Anjana Suvarnananda 2) About a week earlier, Thailand reformed their anti-rape laws to include married women and men. As summarized by the Feminist Majority Foundation (among others): "The National Legislative Assembly of Thailand approved a new law last week that criminalizes marital rape. Previously, rape law could not be used to prosecute a husband who forced sex on his wife. This new law carries a monetary fine (40,000 baht, or $1,156) and up to 20 years in jail for offenders. In addition, the definition of "victim" has been expanded so that man, too, can file rape charges against a woman or another man. This expansion has been applauded as a breakthrough by gay rights activists who have struggled to obtain rights and protection for gays, lesbians, and cross-dressers who are often targeted violently." Way to show us how it's done, Thailand.
August 12, 2007 8 Bangkok, Thailand (AP) - Thailand, one of the world's most tolerant countries toward transvestites and transsexuals, is considering a law to allow people who have had a sex change to officially change their title, reports said Sunday. The proposal which would allow transgender men or women to choose how they are addressed is being considered by the country's National Legislative Assembly to support an anti-discrimination provision in the draft constitution, Thai newspapers reported. Wiroon Tangcharoen, an assembly member who is also rector of Srinakharinwirot University, said he supported the move, which would bring Thailand's laws in line with those of other countries, The Nation newspaper said. No further details were available about the proposed law. Wiroon said he did not believe the law would cause any problems in university dormitories, where students are segregated by sex, the Nation reported. Students wishing to stay with members of their adopted gender would have to produce medical certificates proving they had undergone sex-change operations, he said, "The university has nothing against male transsexual students staying in female dormitories on the campus,'' he was quoted saying. Even though Thailand is widely tolerant of homosexuals, transvestites and transsexuals who have regular presence on TV, in movies and the entertainment business, many must overcome family pressure, social prejudice and domestic violence. Three years ago, faced with the problem of which bathrooms transvestite students should use, a college in the northern province of Chiang Mai designated a bathroom for exclusive use of the school's 15 cross-dressing students. Dubbed the Pink Lotus Bathroom, the facility at the Chiang Mai Technology School featured four stalls, but no urinals. On the door was a sign with intertwined male and female symbols. The transvestites _ who had to wear male attire at school but were allowed to sport girlie hairdos _ had annoyed female students when using the women's bathrooms, and faced harassment in the men's facilities.
15th August 2007 9 by Gemma Pritchard Students wishing to live with members of their adopted gender would have to produce medical certificates proving they had undergone sex-change operations. "The university has nothing against male transsexual students staying in female dormitories on the campus," he said. Even though Thailand is widely tolerant of gays, transvestites and transsexuals, who have regular presence on TV, in movies and the entertainment business, many face family pressure, social prejudice and domestic violence. Three years ago, a college in the northern province of Chiang Mai designated a bathroom for the exclusive use of the school’s 15 cross-dressing students. Dubbed the Pink Lotus Bathroom, the facility at the Chiang Mai Technology School featured four stalls, but no urinals. On the door was a sign with intertwined male and female symbols. The transvestites — who had to wear male attire at school but were allowed to sport feminine hairdos — had annoyed female students when using the women’s bathrooms, and faced harassment in the men’s facilities.
September 21, 2007 10 Bangkok (AFP) - Yonlada Krerkkong Suanyot says she's every bit a woman, except for on her identity card which identifies her as a man. Yonlada was born male but completed her sex change operation five years ago and has lived as woman for even longer. Although Thailand has a worldwide reputation as a paradise for transsexuals, with gender reassignment surgery widely available and relatively cheap, the kingdom does not allow people to officially change their gender for legal purposes. Activists are now trying to change that, proposing a new law that would allow transvestites and transsexuals to legally change their gender and adopt the title "Miss". It's a minor legal change with profound legal implications. The difference between Yonlada's appearance and the gender on official documents such as her national identity card and passport has caused her countless problems, including rejection for bank loans and refusal of jobs. "I have lost a lot of opportunities to work for good companies or even government agencies," she said. When she tried to get a bank loan to start her own business, the loan was refused because the bank thought she was using a stolen ID. "I know the bank thought I didn't look reliable," she said. Some transsexuals also have problems travelling overseas, because they are listed as men on their passports but appear as women at the immigration counter. Natee Teerarojjaongs, chairman of the Gay Political Group, said he had proposed the legal change to Thailand's parliament specifically to end such discrimination. "This would clear obstacles for them working and travelling," he said. Natee is also pushing for the law to cover people who dress as the opposite sex or have undergone some surgery, as well as those who have completed their gender reassignment surgery. Thailand is believed to have one of the largest transsexual populations in the world. Transsexuals, known locally as kathoey, have long had a place in Thai culture, with roles reserved for them in traditional festivals, in folk theatre, and even as geisha-style "companions." Kathoey are also among Thailand's most visible cultural exports, with Vegas-style transsexual cabarets performing to audiences of thousands and popular movies about their lives playing the global film festival circuit. That history of acceptance, combined with easy access to Thailand's top-rate hospitals, has made it relatively easy for people to undergo a sex change. Academics estimate at least 10,000 live in Thailand, though other guesses are more than 10 times higher. Even the conservative number would mean that per capita, Thailand has many more transsexuals than most developed countries. "We estimate that only three percent of transvestites complete their sex change because the medical bills are so expensive, but we want to make sure everyone is equal and can be covered by the law," he said. There would be conditions to legally change genders, including a mandatory psychiatric evaluation and a background check, he said. Natee found a sympathetic ear in member of parliament Kanjana Silpa-archa, who heads the subcommittee on women's affairs. "I believe people should have equal rights. Transgendered people should have the same rights as any other sex," she said. "For a person who is not happy with his sex and who lives as the opposite sex, he deserves the chance to receive what he wants." Kanjana's committee has taken up Natee's proposal, but the measure still needs approval from the higher-ranking committee on women, youth and the elderly before going to the entire parliament. The current parliament was appointed by the military after last year's coup, so Natee and Kanjana acknowledge that there's not much time to give the bill a hearing before legislative elections on December 23. Yonlada said the current system just encourages transgendered people to break the law by getting fake IDs. She admits to bribing a Bangkok city worker to get a fake card with the title "Miss," but said that didn't help in the long run as potential employers found her out anyway. "If we could really have the title 'Miss,' it would help us live our lives more easily," she said. November 05, 2007 11 About 2,000 books, magazines, photo albums, video tapes, movie and audio CDs relating to homosexuals fill the small room that is the country's only library dedicated to documenting the local gay community. Called the Thai Queer Resource Centre (TQRC), it was founded by Australian scholar Assoc Prof Peter Jackson with the aim of preventing the history and voice of the Thai GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) community from erosion by the state. "No official library in Thailand is collecting this material. Also, the police are out to destroy them. It's therefore essential that the Thai GLBT community, and researchers such as myself work together to save these important records of Thai queer history," There is a lot of interest among Thai university students in conducting research on Thailand's gay, lesbian and transgendered community, he said, but the authorities view material that reflects the lives of the Thai GLBT community as immoral and illegal, which must be destroyed. So there is no place where students or researchers can find such historical records.
November 11, 2007 12 Pattaya, Thailand (AFP) — Dressed in a flowing yellow gown with matching earrings, a demure Thai business student wept and embraced her rivals after being crowned the world's most beautiful transsexual. Tanyarat Jirapatpakon was named Miss International Queen 2007 on Sunday, besting 23 stunning transsexuals who had come to the Thai beach resort of Pattaya from as far as Germany and Puerto Rico for a shot at the diamond crown. The Thai's extravagant yet elegant costumes and dedication to environmental causes helped carry the day, taking her past runners-up Aleika Barros of Brazil and Chanel Madrigal of the Philippines. "I feel excited and so happy. Everybody enjoyed the contest and I didn't expect anything like this," the 21-year-old said from atop her throne after winning 10,000 dollars and the title. In a nation obsessed with beauty pageants and famous for its sexual tolerance, this elaborate contest is taken every bit as seriously as the more traditional competitions. Contestants' costumes can cost up to one million baht (33,000 dollars), and the audience was treated to all the glitz and glam of conventional beauty pageants, complete with swimsuit and evening-wear rounds. "This is the night I have been preparing for my whole life," gushed Colombia's Melania Armenta, a 25-year-old model. Festivities began on Saturday evening, with last year's winner Erica Andrews performing "Mexican Aztec" -- an upbeat, pulsating dance homage to her homeland complete with ancient pyramids, flashing native symbols and historic outfits. In the costume round, Tanyarat had to compete against a butterfly, a swan and a Mercedes Benz, but the top prize in the category was given to Japan's Beni Tsukishima for her authentic kabuki ensemble. Tanyarat's angelic white-beaded evening wear, fit for the grandest of galas, gave way to the more salacious floral pink bikini in the swimsuit competition, showing off her shapely legs and slim figure. But she finally wooed the crowd with dedication to loftier issues. "Global warming is one of the most serious problems the world faces today," she said when asked how she helps educate people on environmental issues. "I tell them to 'think about it'. It's your world too," she said. The crowd, consisting of mostly Thais and the occasional bewildered tourist, cheered loudly for the homegrown favourite but were upstaged by feverish, flag-waving Filipinos who supported four of their compatriots. Tiffany's Show Pattaya, which runs the event and claims to be the world's largest transsexual cabaret, said more than 25 million Thai television viewers had been expected to tune in. Known in Thailand as "kathoey," or the third gender, Thai transsexuals have slowly been leaving cabarets for mainstream success in music and other endeavours, helped in part by the popularity of beauty contests. Participants praised Thailand for its progressive attitude towards sexuality. "There is still a lot of discrimination against people like me in the Philippines," said 24-year-old Rain Marie Madrigal, from Manila. "Thailand is like a utopia for transgender people." November 30, 2007 13
December 10, 2007 14
I am doing this to give something back to the Thai gay and transgender community, whose members I have been interviewing and studying for the past 25 years. I am an associate professor in Thai history at the Australian National University, and the archive will help younger gay and transgender people in Thailand, now in their 20s and 30s, who want to study their own history. The magazines are a unique record of how gay culture has developed in Thailand. My aim is to develop the Thai Queer Resources Centre as an archive that can eventually be donated to a university in Thailand for safekeeping. There’s a rich history in these magazines, and apart from a few private collectors in Thailand, no-one has kept them. The police regularly destroy gay magazines – as supposedly pornographic – and mount raids on newsstands. The previous political regime of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had conservative moral policies, and magazines and other gay businesses were often raided. Somewhat ironically, since the military coup that overthrew Thaksin in September 2006, the climate for homosexual people has improved markedly. There’s been a boom in gay businesses, including new gay magazines. We have put ads in the gay press and on gay websites, asking people to donate magazines to our archive, and we have used the network of people working in gay rights and HIV prevention NGOs (non governmental organisations) in Thailand to get the message out. I have been stunned by the positive response, and by the sense of community history they have. So far we haven’t had to pay for any of the several hundred magazines that have been donated. There are many people in Bangkok who collect gay magazines. One man rolled up in a taxi with three huge boxes – he had kept them in a storeroom for years. One closeted man e-mailed, saying he lived with his parents in the suburbs and they had no idea he was gay. He said it was fine to go and pick up his collection, but asked that nobody came in drag, which would have given the game away. I now have an assistant working full-time on archiving the magazines. She’s the first transgendered academic in Thailand and it hasn’t been easy for her to get a job. I really hope she can get a teaching job in Thailand. Things are changing, slowly, and in 2005 I organised the first international conference of Asian Queer Studies in Bangkok. We had Ford Foundation support and more than 500 registrations, 80 per cent of them from Asia. It’s encouraging, but we have a long way to go to get acceptance in Thai universities for gay, lesbian and transgender history. I wrote one of the first books on Thai gay history, 20 years ago, and I now get e-mails from many Thai students who want to study the subject, but who can’t find a supervisor in Thailand. The archive is part of my wider research looking at capitalism and gay history in Thailand. A lot of people look at the politics of gay issues but relatively few investigate the history of the gay scene. The truth is that without these spaces – the bars and saunas, and the magazines sold and given away in those places – there would have been nowhere for gay people to meet. Businesses and entrepreneurs have been vital in the emergence of gay history, and have often been brave in the face of official opposition and police raids. I hope I can preserve that history, and pass it on to the next generation
February 1, 2008 15 by Sylvia Tan The ILGA-Asia board is the fourth regional board to be set up within the framework of the 29-year-old organisation after Europe (1996), Latin-America (2000) and Africa (2007). Founded in 1978, the Brussels-based network has links with some 600 member organisations in over 90 countries including 75 gay groups across Asia. Asia is currently represented on ILGA's world board by Mira Alexis P. Ofreneo of Manila-based lesbian activist group CLIC (Can't Live In the Closet) and Aung Myo Min of Committee for Lesbigay Rights in Burma which is based in Chiangmai. They were elected at ILGA's last regional conference held in 2005 in Cebu, the Philippines. Following the appointment of the new ILGA-Asia board on Sunday, Poedjiati Tan of Gaya Nusantara, Indonesia's oldest gay rights advocacy group; and Sahran Abeysundara (Equal Ground, Sri Lanka) - best known to many as being a contestant on The Amazing Race Asia - will be the new female and male representatives to represent Asia on ILGA's world board. The other eight members of the Asia board are Eva Lee (Common Language, China) and Ashley Wu (Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association) representing East Asia; Toen-King Oey (Arus Pelangi, Indonesia) and Tan, South East Asia; Abeysundara and Hasna Hena (Bangladesh), South Asia; Anna Kirey (Labrys, Kyrgyzstan) and Suki (MSM Mongolia), Central Asia; Kamilia (Institut Pelangi Perempuan, Indonesia) and Frank Zhao (Trans China) were elected to fill the vacant seats in the West Asia region (Middle East) as it did not have any representation in the conference. The 10 board members will serve a 2-year term until a new board gets elected at the next ILGA-Asia conference to be hosted by Nepal's Blue Diamond Society in 2010. The other contender Bali, which was proposed by potential host organisation Gaya Nusantara, lost by a hair's breath when a vote was taken on Sunday. Only member organisations have voting rights, while individual members are excluded from voting. According to the ILGA website, the aim of a regional conference is to provide an "opportunity for Asian activists to reflect on ways to consolidate their movement and further progress in self-organising on a regional level." Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, ILGA Female Co-Secretary-General, says that one of the main aims of establishing a regional board is to create opportunities for activists in Asia to network, pool their resources and benefit from the experiences of others who face the same challenges in their own countries. "One of the short term objectives is to have a working constitution and eventually establish a secretariat in Asia - a registered NGO working for LGBTIQ rights. My vision is for Asia to form a cohesive and strong network to fight for our rights in this region which has long been neglected," the Sri Lanka-based activist told Fridae. "Many of the countries in Asia also criminalise homosexuality so I think a concerted effort to decriminalise in many of the countries would be a primary objective of quite a few regions." She added that the key to gaining LGBT rights is having a big voice, and making it "so much bigger so that people have to take notice" and recognise equal rights for gay, lesbian and transgendered people. Prominent speakers at the 4-day conference include Dr Naiyana Supapueng from the National Human Rights Commission in Thailand and Vitit Muntarbhorn, Professor of Law at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University who also co-chaired the experts' meeting which drafted The Yogyakarta Principles, a set of principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. Prof Vitit is also a UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Attendees of the conference also heard from Aya Kamikawa, a Setagaya Ward Assembly Member in Tokyo who is the first transsexual person to seek elected office in Japan; and Kanako Otsuji, Japan's first openly lesbian politician who ran in a national election last year about mainstreaming LGBT issues at a national political level in Japan A street parade was held in the city for the first time as over 200 conference attendees, observers and members of the local LGBT community marched from the Buddhist Centre (Puttastan) to Pantip Plaza on Saturday night. More photos and reports to follow
February 1, 2008 (For full text and photos: http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/article.php?articleid=2160&viewarticle=1 ) 16 The march, which was organised in conjunction with the 4-day conference, was covered by the local media including The Nation newspaper, The Irrawaddy News Magazine and the BBC World Service. Among those present were Sunil Pant, the founder and director of Nepal’s Blue Diamond Society - an organisation that advocates the rights of sexual minorities. According to a press release issued by Pant in December last year, the Nepal Supreme Court had “issued directive orders to (the) Nepal government to ensure rights to life according to their own identities and introduce laws providing equal rights to LGBTIs and amend all the discriminatory laws against LGBTIs.” It also declared that persons of the third gender should be recognised as such. Locally termed metis, they could be pre op male to female transgenders, or persons with a gender expression that is not typical of his/her biological sex. While some members of the LGBT community have expressed discomfort about massage parlours (and gogo bars especially in the case of Bangkok Pride) prominently advertising their services during pride parades, a veteran pride parade organiser argued that any promotion of commercial services should be viewed the same way as long as the participants are supportive of the gay cause. He highlighted that while many have no reservations about the presence of blue-chip brands, the same people may balk at the presence of massage parlours, gogo bars and other businesses that cater to the gay community as their participation casts gays in a bad light. Related web sites International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Blue Diamond Society International Lesbian and Gay Association Isis International-Manila Equal Ground Arus Pelangi Institut Pelangi Perempuan Gaya Nusantara 17 Mention homosexuality and many Thais will blame it on recent Western influences. Ask Varaporn Vichayarath what she thinks, however, and she would simply smile before providing a list of old temples with murals depicting same-sex courtship. Yes, homosexual courtship between both men and women. And yes, at temples. "Contrary to conservative beliefs, homosexuality has long existed in our society, as evidenced by these mural paintings," said Varaporn, a book editor who has researched the topic. Varaporn recently presented her findings at Thailand's first ever national conference on sexuality and sexual diversity, where she displayed photographs of murals painted on old temples in various parts of Thailand. Varaporn started with images of the 18th century Buddhaisawan Chapel in the National Museum, where the sacred Buddha Sihing image is housed for public reverence. There, she found some murals with images of lesbianism. One, located on the middle of the left wall after the main entrance, depicts two mermaids frolicking with each other above the ocean waves. On the opposite wall is the scene on the Buddha's Great Renunciation, the night Prince Siddhartha decided to leave palace life to ordain. In the portion of the mural that shows a group of court ladies sleeping in front of the royal chamber some of the women are embracing one another. Lesbian love is often seen in murals depicting the Great Renunciation, Varaporn explained. "While it reflects what must have been a common phenomenon among court women in those days since they were barred from direct contact with men, it may also symbolise worldly lust, which the prince was leaving behind," she said. A few other paintings of palace ladies cuddling each other can be found on the scripture cabinets behind the Buddha Sihing image. Suwannaram Temple in Bangkok Noi is another place Varaporn discovered murals showing homosexuality. Lesbian cuddling is again included in the scene of the Buddha's Great Renunciation, found on the front wall of the ordination hall or ubosot, opposite the main Buddha image. Yet Varaporn pointed out that representations of homosexuality in the sacred space of temples does not equate to social acceptance. "These scenes appear in the context of mainstream values of heterosexuality, so what they convey ranges from a humorous peek at homosexuality to outright ridicule and condemnation." An example of this is a depiction at Suwannaram Temple of sodomy used as punishment. Found on the ubosot wall to the left of the main Buddha image, it reflects social contempt of homosexuality and how some men used rape as a means to punish and humiliate other men. Murals showing same-sex relationships also appear at the Kongkaram Temple in Ratchaburi, Pratusarn Temple in Suphan Buri and the Phra Sing and Buak Krok Luang temples in Chiang Mai. The ordination hall of Kongkaram Temple houses two of Thailand's most well-known mural depictions of lesbian love. One, found on the right wall of the ordination hall after the main entrance, shows one court lady teasingly touch the breast of another. Another mural found to the left of the entrance features two court ladies in a close embrace, unperturbed by surrounding commotion. The paintings of lesbian love at Pratusarn Temple, though not as refined as those in city temples, reflect the folk artists' sense of humour rather than social condemnation. One painting seen immediately after entering that depicts the Buddha's Great Renunciation shows a group of court ladies in a romantic embrace. Another mural, showing an elderly woman playfully chasing another woman, is found on the far end of the left wall near the main Buddha image. The ordination hall of Phra Sing Temple in Chiang Mai, meanwhile, houses murals inspired by the popular folk tale Sang Thong, not the life of the Buddha as in most other temples. Interestingly, these murals show homosexuality to be part of local life, be it in the court or the village. One of these beautiful paintings depicts a group of nymphs (nang fah) caressing one another. Two other murals detail gay courtship; one in which two princes have romantically locked eyes while on a journey to marry their princesses, another in which two young village men hold each other in a loving embrace. All the murals are on the right wall after the entrance. Varaporn said that murals showing lesbian courtship are more common and easier to identify than ones showing gay courtship, which, as they are not overtly sexual, some may argue reflect only male friendship. Varaporn compared the gestures in murals at Phra Sing Temple showing gay courtship with those showing heterosexual relationships. She believes that in the representations of heterosexuality, these gestures, which include eye contact, close embraces, placing hands on another's hips and offering someone a cigarette, indicate romantic advances between men and women. But she remains cautious of claiming they mean the same when seen between two men given the culture of male camaraderie in the North. "We should note, however, that other studies on the North show that gay relationships were not a strange thing in the past," Varaporn pointed out. But why do these paintings on same-sex love appear in temples, supposedly sacred spiritual spaces? And why and when did they cease to be produced? According to Varaporn, the agricultural society of ancient Thailand had long employed sex-related rituals or items associated with fertility in worship. "Consequently, the people saw sexuality as a normal part of life." When, starting in early Ayutthaya period, temples became more widespread and more accessible to commoners, it was natural for the painters of murals to depict what they saw in daily life - including sexuality - in their work, she explained. The temples that house paintings of same-sex relations mainly belong to the early Rattanakosin period during the reign of King Rama I to King Rama III. This was the time society was opening up and allowing more diverse groups to interact with one another on an equal level, at least in religious spheres, said Varaporn. The depictions of contemporary life, however, are just a tiny part in the ubosot murals and do not in any way interfere with their main stories, which are the Buddha's life and other folk tales. Instead, the everyday scenes were used as space-fillers by the early Rattanakosin mural painters, who liked to make their characters and decorative scenes small and compact in order to cover every minute detail of a story. "This left a lot of white space given the size of the wall," explained Varaporn. "The mural painters solved this problem by filling the space with scenery such as trees and mountains as well as depictions of commoners' daily lives." Since these portions of the paintings were not as stylised as those showing the main story, the artists were allowed more freedom and creativity to paint contemporary life and to express themselves, she added. Murals showing same-sex relations started to phase out after the reign of Rama III and disappeared altogether after the reign of Rama V. Contrary to the mainstream belief that homosexuality arrived with Western influences in modern Thailand, the relative social openness toward homosexuality - as indicated by same-sex courtship seen in the murals - started to disappear when the ruling elite began to accept 19th century Victorian morality and sexually repressive beliefs, said Varaporn. Consequently, the artists' playful murals showing same-sex courtship were frowned upon and eventually disappeared. During the reign of King Rama V, the country adopted Western laws making sodomy illegal. Those laws were repealed in 1956. The silence on same-sex relationships, which has contributed to various forms of discrimination against homosexuals, is actually a recent social phenomena, said Varaporn. "We can see this by going back to our temples and our mural paintings," she said.
6th March 2008 18 by PinkNews.co.uk staff writer Human Rights Watch says the UN and its member states are failing to address serious threats to life and health posed by the promotion of unproven AIDS 'cures' and by counterfeit antiretroviral drugs. "Fake cures have been promoted since AIDS was first identified," said Joseph Amon, HIV/AIDS programme director at Human Rights Watch and author of the article. "In the era of expanded antiretroviral treatment programmes, the failure of governments to monitor these false claims and ensure accurate information about life-saving antiretroviral drugs undermines global efforts to fight AIDS." In Gambia in February 2007 President Yahya Jammeh claimed to have developed a herbal cure for AIDS that was effective in three days if people taking the treatment discontinued taking antiretroviral drugs and refrained from alcohol, caffeine, and sex. Following the announcement, Gambian journalists who criticised the so-called cure were fired, and the UN resident coordinator in Gambia, Fadzai Gwaradzimba, was permanently expelled for asking for scientific proof of the treatment’s effectiveness. Last week the Gambian government announced with much fanfare that Jammeh had been awarded an honorary degree in Herbal and Homeopathic medicine by the Brussels-based Jean Monnet European University. In accepting the degree, Jammeh announced that he had discovered cures for obesity and impotence, adding to his previously declared 'cures' for infertility, diabetes, and asthma. Also in 2007, the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, announced the discovery of IMOD (an abbreviation for immuno-modulator drug), a herbal AIDS treatment made from seven local Iranian herbs. The government has promoted the drug as a "therapeutic vaccine" and as the "first choice" for treatment in resource-constrained developing countries. The President's Office for Technology Cooperation has also promoted the remedy and sought partners for joint marketing, clinical trials, and manufacturing. According to news reports in November 2007, the Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education stated that all patients with "Countries are gambling with the lives of people living with HIV by promoting unproven AIDS remedies,” said Mr Amon. "The UN should condemn this practice and work with governments and civil society groups to ensure that effective AIDS treatment and information about it are provided.
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by News Editor Featuring three twenty-something male hosts Tong, Chan, and Beige, the programme will feature three segments “Living and Dining,”“Travel and Lifestyle” and “Fashion and Fun.” The first episode of the 30-minute weekly variety show opens with the three hosts awakening from their sleep - in the same bed – who will later present their own segments. Focusing on general living and lifestyle trends, producers say the programme is suited to men regardless of their sexual orientation. Explaining what inspired the programme, Vitaya Saeng-Aroon, director of Cyberfish Media, and one of the show’s four producers told Fridae: “Up till now Thai TV has lacked any content that shows men how to live and be their best. Most of the airtime is occupied by programs for women from dawn ’til dusk. It’s time for us to speak out and make our demands heard. What should a guy who cares about his looks do? How does he find a great condo? Or prepare a quick and healthy meal? Men need advice on these topics too.” Cyberfish Media and the show’s production firm, PFM Production, acknowledge that their programme would be of interest to companies looking to reach their male clientele and are looking for the “right communication channel to effectively capture their target groups.” “We are the bridge to take their products to their consumers. The market of ‘for-men products’ is growing tremendously in Asia, as it is elsewhere in the world. Why not have a TV program that rides the wave of this growth?” he said. Vitaya also highlighted a commonly articulated concern that Thailand and other Asian countries are “overwhelmed with Western-looking guys from the Western media” and hopes for the show to further promote Asian bodies and Asian faces in the media.“Consumers will love to see models and TV hosts who look like them,” he said. He added that Passport for Men has been conceptualised to appeal to a wider audience beyond its domestic viewers and plans to feature English subtitles in its next stage of development. Passport for Men broadcasts every Sunday at 8.30 pm starting Mar 9 on MVNews (Channel 26) through MVTV Cable Network, with simultaneous streaming on www.mvnews.net. From Mar 10, the show will be available for download or streaming on its website: www.ppformen.com, which will also offer archives of earlier shows. Sneak previews are shown below.
2nd April 2008 20 by Adam Lake In 1985 the American Red Cross and Food and Drug Administration stopped accepting blood donations from "any male who has had sex with another male since 1977, even once." Intravenous drug users or recent immigrants from certain nations with high rates of HIV infection are also barred from donating blood. The continued inclusion of men who have sex with men on the prohibited list has created some degree of controversy. The United Kingdom Blood and Tissue Transplantation Service states on its website: "We ask gay men not to give blood because gay men, as a group, are known to be at an increased risk of acquiring HIV and a number of other sexually transmitted infections,many of which are carried in the blood. Changing the rule to allow gay men to donate one year after they last had sex with another man would increase the risk by 60%" Currently in the UK, a man who has ever had oral or anal sex with another man, even with a condom, is barred from donating blood for life because they are deemed to be more at risk of passing on sexually transmitted diseases. A National Blood Service spokesperson said the ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood is "justified" despite the fact that lifting the order would dramatically increase depleted stocks. Campaign group BloodBan.co.uk has branded current guidelines "outdated and discriminatory" and called for an overhaul of the policy. Despite the fact that the National Aids Trust [NAT] state that black Africans are an equally high risk group for blood-borne STDs, they are not subject to a blanket lifetime ban in the way that men who have had gay sex are. The only other people who are permanently banned from donating blood are individuals who have ever received money or drugs for sex and individuals who have ever injected, or been injected, with drugs. Guidelines from the UK Blood Safety Leaflet specify that any individual donating: "must wait twelve months after sex with a partner who has, or you think may have been sexually active in parts of the world where HIV/AIDS is very common, including most countries in Africa." The twelve-month wait is not an option for gay or bisexual men, even one who has been celibate for most of his life. In Finland the parliamentary ombudsman launched an investigation on the possible unconstitutionality of the life-time ban in January 2006. France, Russia and South Africa have also recently lifted the blanket ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. They have concluded that their blood donor policy should be based on differentiating between risky and non-risky behaviour, regardless of sexual orientation.
April 2nd, 2008 21 Thailand's Health Ministry ordered hospitals and medical clinics to temporarily stop performing castrations for non-medical reasons, saying Wednesday that the procedure performed on transsexuals needs stricter monitoring. A letter will be sent to medical facilities around the country telling them to halt so-called commercial castrations until further notice, he said. Violators could face closure of their practices. "As of today, doctors can perform the surgery if there is a medical reason to do so - not for any other reason," ministry spokesman Suphan Srithamma said. The move came after a leading gay activist, Natee Teerarojjanapongs, called on the Medical Council to take action against clinics that perform castrations on underage boys. Natee, head of the Gay Political Group of Thailand, said he received several complaints from parents of underage boys seeking castrations in part because of Internet advertisements that promise cheap operations resulting in feminine qualities such as softer skin. Suphan said he did not have official statistics on the numbers of castrations performed in Thailand, but said many underage patients were unaware of the risks it posed, including hormonal imbalances and stunted physical development. The ministry and the Medical Council of Thailand will draft new guidelines that doctors must follow before carrying out the procedure, Suphan said. Existing rules require boys under age 18 to have parental consent before undergoing castration but it is suspected that many doctors overlook the rule, Suphan said. |
