Celebrate diversity this month (and always)

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Read the following story by Suthivas Tanphaibul from the Bangkok Post’s Guru Magazine. Then, answer the questions that follow.


Nothing screams Pride Month louder than the rainbow colours popping up all over Bangkok. Celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the world annually, June is when people can proudly carry a flag for diversity. While the LGBTQIA+ community in Thailand enjoys a lot of visibility, it doesn't mean they've never faced any challenges. Guru has gathered noted figures of the community to share their pride with us.

Nisamanee 'Nutt' Lertvorapong
YouTuber
Owner of fashion brand Fratellinn

"I'm proud of myself for being different. When I was a kid, I always thought that being different was wrong. There's nothing wrong with being afraid to be different. We were raised in a society that discourages us from being rebels against the standard. But imagine if everyone looks and thinks the same. That's weirder. A tip from me, you must believe in your unique personality. It's a gift that makes you special and stand out from others."

Npak 'Jyb' Maha-udomporn
Contestant on The Face Men Thailand Season 3, the first trans man to join the show

"For me, pride is what I take from who I am. Love and appreciate yourself. It gives me a goal to achieve something and what to live for."

Jitsak 'Gino' Lim-Pakornkul
Contestant of MasterChef Thailand Season 3 and MasterChef All-Stars Thailand

"My pride is the happiness of being who I am today by accepting my self-worth and self-awareness. Whether you're part of LGBTQIA+ or not, we should be courageous enough to open the door to acceptance, love and faith in our life. We should be proud in everything we do, every path we choose to walk on and every being that we are."

Adisak 'Beam' Jirasakkasem
Founder of fashion house IWANNABANGKOK

"It's really important to understand who you are from the inside, then set your goal of what kind of person you want to become. The way I found myself is that I have to realise my potential and accept who I am before accomplishing success. Everything else will follow. So, I would say every day is my pride."

Ekkachai 'Ekky' Euasangkomsert
TV show host, radio DJ and producer

"Pride for me means that I can live safely, support my family and share happiness with others while being my true self. Many people seem so afraid to unleash their inner-self because of the fear of being rejected from society. Speaking of which, everything starts with you. The first step to making others accept you is your own self-acceptance. You have to be confident and proud of who and what you are before thinking whether others would like you or not."


Section 1: Write the correct answer in the space provided.
1. Who talks about family? …………….
2. Who mentions finding yourself? …………….
3. Who says you should love yourself? …………….
4. Who thinks your personality is a gift? …………….
5. Who mentions confidence?…………..
6. Who is a chef? …………….

Section 2: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
June has been …7… as the rainbow month to honour the 1969 Stonewall uprising in Manhattan, which is the …8… of the gay liberation movement in the United States. A …9… police raid at gay club Stonewall Inn …10… to street protests by patrons and neighbourhood residents.
7. __A. choose             __B. chose                __C. chosen
8. __A. begins                 __B. beginner               __C. beginning
9. __A. violet            __B. violence           __C. violent
10. __A. led            __B. lead                __C. leads

       
Section 3: Find words that match the following definitions.
11. a feeling of happiness that you get when you or someone you know does something good ……………
12. the fact of many different types of things or people being included in something ……………
13. the state of being seen ……………
14. to recognise how good someone or something is and to value them or it …………

Answers: 1. Ekky. 2. Beam. 3. Jyb. 4. Nutt. 5. Ekky. 6. Gino. 7. c. 8. c. 9. c. 10. a. 11. pride. 12. diversity. 13. visibility. 14. appreciate.