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Sites and Insights Gay Thailand News & Reports 2008
Also see: 1 ILGA-Asia conference elects first regional board 2/08 2 ChiangMai, Thailand witnessed its first gay march 2/08 4 Call for action against bogus AIDS cures 3/08 5 New men's lifestyle TV programme to launch March 9 in Thailand 3/08 6 Thailand joins gay blood ban 4/08 7 Temporary ban on castration in Thailand 4/08 8 Fading Smiles: One Third of Thailand's Gays Threatened by HIV 4/08 10 When your child is a homosexual 5/08 12 Trapped by television: Parents need to monitor how much TV their child watches 5/08 13 Passport for Men seeks new host 6/08 14 Asian gay, transgender groups fight for their rights 6/08 15 Thai school introduces special bathrooms for trans students 6/08
February 1, 2008 1 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 ) 2 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 3 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 4 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 6 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 7 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. "It's a totally wrong perception that castration will make boys more feminine," Natee told The Bangkok Post last week. "These youngsters should wait until they are mature enough to thoroughly consider the pros and cons of such an operation." Dr. Thep Vechavisit, owner of the Pratunam Polyclinic in Bangkok, which specializes in sex change surgery, said the surgery was a better option than taking excessive female hormones, which can cause liver damage. Many many young male transsexuals take hormones, he said. His clinic charges $125 for non-medical castrations and has performed 205, mostly for Thais, since first offering the service in 2004, he said. "There's nothing wrong with this procedure," Thep said.
April 13, 2008 8 Newly released figures by Thailand's Ministry of Public Health show that the Kingdom's HIV infection rate among gay and bisexual men has risen to 30.7% in 2007. Bangkok Despite Thailand's famous reputation for tolerance, its homosexuals and "third genders" are never-the-less subject to public bias and official discrimination: in 2004 a Culture Ministry Deputy declared war on open gays for being abnormal influences in the media; in 2007 a member of the assembly drafting Thailand's new constitution objected to including protections for GLBT because such people would "make Thai society weak." More damaging, a long term Moral Order campaign, begun under the former Taksin administration, saw officials raiding legal businesses and threatening arrests and closures when condoms were discovered on premises. Condoms, the most effective weapon that gay venues had in a public health crisis, vanished as they were deemed instant proof of wrongdoing. Two decades ago, when homosexuals made up only 1% of Thailand's run-away HIV infections, gays began grass roots education to prevent the kind of scourge that had wracked communities in Europe and the US. Groups like The White Line Dance Troupe toured straight brothels and schools, in addition to gay bars and dance clubs, to spread the safer sex message to the larger society. Despite being pioneers in AIDS/HIV prevention and continuing to highlight prevention messages in its public events, the gay community received little meaningful assistance or attention in Thailand's recent prevention efforts. Since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration (TUC) showed HIV prevalence of 17.3% among MSM in Bangkok in 2003, that figure has nearly doubled in just four years. Last month the Commission on AIDS in Asia reported that MSM infection rates in Asia as a whole are estimated to more than double in the next decade. To their credit, the Ministry of Public Health has significantly added its support to developing national strategies, with the community, for dealing with HIV among MSM. What is missing, at least since the 1997 economic crisis, is the political will at the highest levels of government. Unless prevention efforts change dramatically -- and UNAIDS suggests that 80% of a sub-population at high risk must be reached directly with HIV prevention efforts including condom and lubricant distribution, to achieve at least a 60% change in risk behaviours -- HIV disease seems set to consume more smiles in Thailand's future. Citation for the 30.7% 2007 figure comes from: Pliplat T, Kladsawas K, van Griensven, Wimonsate W. 2008. Results of the HIV surveillance among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Bangkok, Chiangmai and Phuket. Proceeding for the Department of Disease Control Annual Conference, Ministry of Public Health, 11-13 February 2008, Bi-Tech Convention Centre. MSM infection rates are averaged from locations where MSM socialize (as opposed to commercial sex venues), specifically: saunas, bars and dance clubs, and parks. In 2005, the infection rate for Bangkok male sex workers was 15.4% for venue-based and 22.6% for street-based male sex workers. Both lower than the 28% for gay and bisexual men at non-commercial venues.
May 08, 2008 9 by Anjira Assavanonda A gay boy's story Frank discovered he was different from other boys when he was about four or five years old. "I didn't like playing with boys. I didn't like sports which males are normally good at, such as football. I felt they are too violent. At home, I liked to wear a hairband, and often put on my mum's high-heel shoes," recounted Frank. When he grew up, Frank realised he was gay, but did not dare tell his family for fear that his parents would not be able to accept the truth. "My family seemed to notice my behaviour, but they never talked to me openly and I didn't dare bring it up," said Frank. His solution was to be reserved at home, and bring out his true nature in school. It was tough pretending to be a man, when deep down inside he knew that he really was gay. When he entered his teens, Frank found it harder to resist his own nature. "I felt really bad that I couldn't be my parents' good son," Frank lamented. "I suffered hiding myself until my mother could not see me control myself any longer. She told me to be whatever I wanted to be, as long as I'm a good person and didn't get involved with bad things," said Frank. His mother's words have freed him from the invisible cage that captured him since childhood. Now, Frank never hides the fact that he is gay. He introduced his boyfriend to his mum, and they both have been getting along well. He is now happy with his way of life. Muk has been a tomboy since she was young. She always refused to wear skirts even though her mother wanted her to. When she was in Grade 5, she started to have strange feeling everytime she saw pretty girls. However, it was not until Grade 9 that Muk discovered her passion for the same sex and started dating a girl. "My mother never asks what I am or why I become a tomboy. She seems to accept the way I am. Then I brought my girlfriend home, my mum never questioned our relationship. Instead, she taught me about love and told me to choose the one who loves me truly," she said. Muk's mother said she used to discuss Muk's sexuality preference with the husband, when she realised that Muk was a tomboy. "We agree there's nothing wrong with our daughter being a tomboy. Think carefully, having a girlfriend may be safer than dating a boy. At least we can be sure she won't flirt with men and get pregnant. Besides, Muk is a good child and never causes us trouble," said the understanding mother. Editor's Note Homosexuals across the globe have been undertaking an uphill battle to be recognised as legit citizens of society, but their voices are still far from being heard. Despite all the efforts to give this group equal rights, they continue to make headlines as they are constantly being denied basic rights, such as insurance coverage or blood donations. There are good and bad people in every society, be it heterosexual or homosexual, but stereotyping a particular group due to their sexual preference is unacceptable. Parents and the society have to remember that being homosexual is not the end of the world - it is a positive step in the right direction. Being homosexual does not mean they will not achieve their goals in life as there are many cases where such people have made it big and have served society in ways that has spurred an era of prosperity. Questions or comments can be sent to mylife@bangkokpost.co.th.
May 08, 2008 10 Accept your children the way they are When parents bring their gay sons to him for therapy, Dr Sukamon said he would heal the parents instead. "It's not the children, but parents who have problems," he noted. He explained that sexual orientation is an individual taste, a personal right, which parents should not interfere with. Parents should not expect the children to be what they want, but love them the way they are. Look at the good in them instead of concentrating on their sexuality. "One mother had sought counselling from three to four psychiatrists before they came to me, hoping her son could be 'changed'. When she was told by the psychiatrist that it's not a disease and doesn't need to be healed, she was disappointed," Dr Sukamon said. Parents should not force the children to change. "The more you reject what they are, the more you hurt them. Some may choose to hide their feelings, and keep lying to themselves even after they grow up." What are the causes? Biological factors have been indicated as a major cause. "And don't ask the homosexuals why they love the same sex, it's as unexplainable as to why we do love the opposite sex," said the doctor. Groups of sexual diversity Sexual diversity can be divided into five groups as follows; 1.Heterosexuals: People who love the opposite sex. 2. Bisexuals: Those who like both males and females. 3. Homosexuals (gay, lesbian): People who are attracted to people of the same sex. 4. Transvestite, tomboy: Men or women who practice of cross-dressing, wearing the clothing of the opposite sex. 5. Transsexual or transgender: A person who dresses as, desires to be, or has undergone surgery to become or identifies as a person of the opposite sex. Note that chance is slim to change these people According to Dr Sukamon, it's impossible for a homosexual to become a heterosexual or vice-versa, but a one-step change such as from homosexual to be bisexual or a transvestite to be a gay is possible in some cases. The possibility to change depends on the following factors; - He or she adopts homosexualism or transvestism at teenage. - He or she never had sex with people of the same sex. - He or she still has a little passion with the opposite sex. - It's his or her own intention to change. Tell-tale signs The following characters signal your child is likely to be a transgender. - Your little son prefers wearing skirts to shorts or pants. - He has a girlish gesture when speaking. - He likes to dress up. - He looks neat and gentle like a girl. - He doesn't like playing with boys. If these characters appear since they are very young, taking them to paediatrists or child psychiatrists may help in some cases. If it is because the boy has been brought up among women, one solution is to find a man to be his role model. Note: This advice is only for transvestites, not gays. A gay would show no girlish characters even when young and is hard to change. For more information, visit sexual diversity web sites: http://www.fasiroong.org/, http://www.bangkokrain bow.org/, http://www.mplusthailand.com/, http://www.les la.com/, http://www.anjaree.net/, http://www.sapaan.org/, http://www.queerfilm.wordpress.com/.
May 08, 2008 11 by Supawadee Inthawong The writer also collected experiences of the other gay people, parents with gay children, famous psychiatrists, columnists and information from both Thai and non-Thai books and web sites. "One son" has simplified all the information into Raising Angel Boys, which makes the book not too academic or boring but easier to read and understand. Reading this book can help both children and parents understand each other's feelings of being gay and being parents of a gay child. The book also talks about homosexuality in general, how to cope it in a family and in the world outside. It further talks about what will happen after a man "comes out" and the importance of making one's sexual preferences known. Everyone should read this book, even if you're not gay or a parent who has gay children because it can help the understanding about "being gay", and accept those who are gay.
May 08, 2008 12 by Sumati Sivasiamphai Let us meet this friend, "TV", that has captured the minds and attention of so many children, and parents alike: Television. Like a good friend, TV is always reliable and always entertaining. However, even a friend with the best intentions can turn sour. TV can start peer pressuring you to abandon your other priorities and turn away from school. TV can turn into the jealous friend, who does not want you to talk to or spend time with anybody else. In the same way that all healthy relationships survive via balance and understanding, the amount of time children spend watching TV is one that needs to be fine-tuned to avoid unfavourable results. Dr Pikul Arsirawech a paediatrician at Samitivej Hospital, has observed that parents often rely on TV watching to guide and teach children below the age of two. She says, "Most parents encourage kids to watch TV because they see it as a tool for learning language." Parents notice remarkably calm behaviour in children while watching TV, which Dr Arsirawech says is why "attention to television makes parents understand that their children are learning". She advocates that parents should play the role of moderators and supervisors to ensure that their children obtain beneficial results from watching TV. The advantages of watching TV as seen by Dr Arsirawech is that it is "fun and a good education tool when used appropriately at the right age." However, Dr Arsirawech believes in order to guarantee that TV watching is appropriate involves choosing "good programmes, and it is real useful if parents are watching with them and guiding them through". On the other hand, when TV becomes the dependent friend that needs attention on a daily basis, it can have detrimental effects on a child's development. Dr Arsirawech has observed that "too much TV causes children to have less communication and socialisation skills because TV is just one-way communication." As a result, children have a lack of interaction with their peers in the outside world. In an academic environment, a dependency on watching TV is also disadvantageous. According to Dr Arsirawech, TV "shortens the attention span in children because watching TV consumes a chemical in the brain that heavily impacts attentions. There is a vicious cycle when children stop watching TV, because they will have no attention left for other activities." Dr Arsirawech recounts that there are numerous incidents where extreme TV watching results in children not being able to speak when they reach the age of two. In these cases, Dr Arsirawech says that "children develop their own language [neologism], which is often found in autistic children." One of the factors for this condition is parents associating TV watching with all aspects of a child's daily routine. Dr Arsirawech says that this problem begins if parents start letting their children watch TV from a very young age of around five or six months old, where parents "raise kids with TV when bathing, feeding or any activities to understand that their child is learning." She has also observed that parents have a tendency to replay TV programmes frequently in small children below two years old, which she absolutely does not recommend because it hinders the development of the child. In addition to hindering cognitive development, excessive TV watching also leads to noticeable physical concerns. Dr Arsirawech has observed that the main problems include slow and reluctant speech, negative effects on eye health including an absence of eye contact, and problems as a result of lack of exercise. Dr Arsirawech also remarks, "children who watch too much TV are prone to repetitive behaviours such as toe tapping, flapping hands, and spinning around as if they live in their own world." Even in the unhealthiest relationship, there are many measures that can be taken to rectify and improve the situation. Dr Arsirawech suggests that if parents notice their child is codependent upon TV watching, they should consult a paediatrician and try to reduce the amount of TV watching. "Special therapy to start interactions with kids and parents tends to make the problem better, but it really needs commitment from parents," warns Dr Arsirawech. In order to avoid the problem of excessive TV watching, Dr Arsirawech also offers a few tips for parents: - No TV for children below two years old. - Maximum 30 minutes of TV time for children in kindergarten. - Maximum one hour of TV time for children in elementary school. - Parents should watch TV with children. - Encourage kids to interact with their peers and do other activities. - Find a balance between TV watching and children's normal routine. - Watch TV programmes that are appropriate for a child's age. If your child is able to maintain a balance when it comes to watching TV, it can help him or her become well-rounded in other aspects of life. Finding a balance will ensure that your child can find a friend as good as TV, but in the form of a living being, and not a flashing rectangular box.
June 4, 2008 13 by News Editor The programme was first profiled by Fridae in early March and numerous readers wrote to suggest adding English subtitles. "Reaction from viewers has been great from both Thais and non-Thais. The most requests we get are for English subtitles, and we're happy to oblige," Saeng-Aroon told Fridae. He added that every episode, current and past, would be subtitled, so viewers will be able to follow the series from its beginning. Featuring three twenty-something male hosts Tong, Chan and Beige, the programme offers three segments "Living and Dining," "Travel and Lifestyle" and "Fashion and Fun." Focusing on general living and lifestyle trends, producers say the programme is suited to men regardless of their sexual orientation. "What should a guy who cares about his looks do? How does he find a great condo? Or prepare a quick and healthy meal? All men need advice on these topics," Vitaya said. To further expand the audience, the producers are in talks to broadcast the show on a major Bangkok cable TV channel and expand distribution via the Internet. While clips of episodes have appeared on video-sharing Web sites such as YouTube, Cyberfish and PFM Production are planning to stream Passport for Men on a dedicated server and are looking for a network partner to broadcast via the Internet for overseas market. "While Thailand's domestic Internet is fast, international bandwidth is slow and limited," Vitaya said. "We're looking for a partner to host the show on a server outside Thailand with reliable, high-speed connections for our international audience." Distribution via Bangkok's subscriber-based cable TV network is awaiting final contract talks, Vitaya added. Once an agreement is reached, the switch from its current satellite carrier could be made as early as July - just as English subtitles are added.
June 09, 2008 14 by Irawaty Wardany, Denpasar Generally, Rido said, LGBT communities in Asia faced similar problems. "We are all at this time suffering from stigmatization, discrimination, persecution from religious groups and discriminative government regulations," he said. "For example, the 2004 regional regulation in Palembang, South Sumatra, categorizes LGBT as a form of prostitution," Rido said. He said religious-based persecution was the most difficult problem LGBT groups faced in Indonesia. "Those religious doctrines are then being integrated into the formal education curriculum. Naturally, the curriculum educates the students that the only 'normal' and accepted sexual orientation is heterosexuality," he said. Consequently, other sexual orientations are considered as not "normal" and unacceptable. This has resulted in students and communities discriminating against members of the homosexual and transgender community. "There are many cases of discrimination experienced by members of the LGBT community. One example involved a man who openly acknowledged his sexual orientation of being gay. Suddenly, his company fired him for no apparent reason," Rido said. He said other gay workers faced varying levels of hostility from co-workers. "They suddenly keep a distance or, even worse, socially isolate him just because he is gay," he said. He said upholding the rights of the LGBT community was a significant issue since sexual orientation was also part of human rights. Rido said the LGBT community in Indonesia just wanted to be acknowledged and treated the same as the other Indonesian citizens, who enjoyed the right to education, health, work and all the other basic human rights. "It is still very hard for people to accept the fact that LGBT are also human beings, who should be treated humanely," said Arus Pelangi secretary general, Yuli Rustinawati. A Sri Lankan LGBT activist, Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, said the situation in Sri Lanka was worse than in Indonesia. "Being part of LGBT communities in Sri Lanka is similar to committing a criminal offense. That's the reason why people with LGBT sexual orientation prefer to be invisible," she said. She said members of the LGBT community in her country who fell victim to criminal acts often didn't report their cases to the police, because the treatment they would receive could be worse than the perpetrators of the criminal acts. She said she participated in LGBT conferences and seminars around the world to learn about human rights instruments that could be used to advance the struggle in her country.
June 18, 2008 15 by Jane Rochstad Lim He added that the introduction of the new toilets would help transvestite students to go to the restroom in peace, as going to the female facilities made some other students uncomfortable and using the men's room often resulted in harassment. "They don't have problems with transvestites but going to the same private area, like a toilet, makes them uneasy," he told Associated Press. "The transvestite kids may behave even more effeminately than the girls, do but their anatomy is still like that of a boy." Kampang is not Thailand's first educational institution to set up transvestite washrooms. A technical college in the northern province of Chiang Mai set up a "Pink Lotus Bathroom" for its 15 transvestite students in 2003. It is not known how many transvestite students there are in Thailand, but Deputy Education Minister Boonlue Prasertsopar recently said the ministry plans to count the number of transvestite university students. He added that if there was a lot of them in universities and going to the bathroom causes problems, then the ministry would consider building toilets and dormitories for them. Most rural Thais are conservative in many ways, but the toilet initiative at the school reflects the Thai's amazing ability of tolerant and support the country's visible transsexual and transvestite community. The Buddhist country has always been seen as a liberal country when it comes to LGBT issues. Though the country does not support same-sex unions, the LGBT community is still considered one of the world's most free and open. Transvestite actors play key roles in Thai movies and soap operas, and can be seen in department cosmetics counters, popular restaurants, cabaret shows and in the famous red-light district. Thailand also has transgender beauty pageants. |
