Although gay characters in Thai media are no longer unusual, they are still often portrayed as caricatures. YouTube series Gay OK Bangkok, directed by Tichakorn "Jojo" Phukhaotong, breaks these stereotypes by showing the diversity of Thai gay men in a more realistic light. The openly gay Jojo is also the founder and director of Trasher, Bangkok which throws crazy themed parties. The Surat Thani native made his directorial debut earlier this year with the first season of Gay OK Bangkok which he also wrote. Its second season is about to be released next month and we wonder what he has in store for fans this time around. Watch the series at www.YouTube.com/TestBKK and follow www.fb.com/TestBKK.
How did Trasher come about?
I competed in a DJ contest at Cafe Democ for fun. Each participant played their 15-minute sets. I was an amateur, just playing pop music I liked. The others showed so much skill and technique, but I won that night probably because of my song choice. Later I talked with my uni friends (at Silpakorn) and we started organising pop parties with music from the 90s, under Trasher, Bangkok. The other party organisers were doing rock and electro. We wanted to stand out with costumes, fun themes and the humour that we put in our videos and at the actual parties. We wanted people to know that they can really let loose at our parties.
Kun Mookdasanit (left) and Paween Nalieng (right) reprise their roles as Off and Big, a couple struggling with a big age gap.
How did you go from being a party organiser to a director?
I had no background in film-making. I graduated with a degree in archaeology but I had always wanted to become a director. I learned from books and watching a lot of movies. My firsthand experience working behind the scenes at Channel V and GMM TV made me more confident. I also got a lot of practice making videos for Trasher and casting my friends to be in them.
What inspired you to make Gay OK Bangkok in the first place?
In Thai media, I feel gay characters are either sassy, tragic figures or represented only as cute schoolboy couples. I want to show the diversity of this group. Testbkk campaigns to encourage gay men to get their blood tested for HIV and STDs so I approached them with an idea to do a series. I wanted to show what their love, work and family lives are like. I wanted to prove that I can tell interesting stories without being over-the-top. It's the ordinariness of gay life that can make people become interested and relate to the series. American series like Looking, Girls and Transparent explore the life and feelings of LGBT people, simply by showing their daily lives. Such a thing doesn't exist in the Thai media and I hope my series would be Thailand's first.
Kanist Piyapaphakornkoon plays Nut who lives with HIV. Photos: Prokie
Where did you derive the story for Gay OK Bangkok from?
Its tagline could be that it's "based on true stories". Most of my material comes from my own experiences and those of people within my circle. The stories range from friends falling for the same person, living with an HIV partner and being a 'bear' in the gay community. Personally, I find it therapeutic bringing all that I and many have experienced, and weaving such experiences together.
In the first season, you touched on various subjects. What can we expect from the second season?
In the first season, I dealt with universal subjects; friends falling for the same person, couples with an age gap between them, the return of an ex and so on. I kinda tested the waters. But this time around, I delved further into other issues like competitiveness in gay relationships, ménage à trois, regrettable sexual encounters and, of course, HIV awareness. There will be sex scenes but these aren't done just for the sake of it. They are essential to my storytelling.
Stylist Jaturapat Khemnark, Fon of Trasher Bangkok, actress Nun Siraphun and Jenny of Trasher Bangkok all show up in the second season of Gay OK Bangkok.
Will there be new characters?
The original cast returns and we will introducing new characters to add diversity to the series' world. After receiving complaints about the lack of women in the first season, this time we have several actresses making appearances, including Nun Siraphun and Ratklao Amaradit.
What kind of feedback have you received from fans?
What I'm proud of the most about the series is that it helps people. More gay men got tested for HIV. Those living with HIV thanked me for representing them as normal instead of a walking disease. Many said the series helped them find a love for themselves. The series has also gained followings in other Asean countries as well as China.
What kind of impact do you want your series to have on people?
I want Thai society to be more open-minded and to talk more about sexuality, sex and relationships. I think not being able to discuss these subjects leads to many problems. I hope the series can change how straight people view gay people. Many viewers told me they hadn't realised that there are so many aspects to gay life. We aren't just those carefree caricatures often found in the media. Gay people are just as human as straight people. I also hope this series will help society understand people with HIV better and start treating them as their equals.
