Thai netizens have been busy online lately fighting off both cross-border homophobia and domestic intolerance against transgenders
UNITED FRONT
A wedding is generally a call for celebration but one gay wedding became a call to war on a virtual battleground recently.
Two gay Thai men, named Suriya and Suriya, recently tied the knot. Dressed in matching red suits, the two had their traditional Thai-style wedding with friends and family in attendance. Photos of the joyous occasion were posted on Facebook by the couple and later widely shared, not only with Thai netizens but also overseas. The celebratory mood quickly turned sour when the photos attracted homophobic internet trolls from Indonesia. Insulting comments were made in Indonesian and English on the couple's photos, calling them crazy and blasphemous among other degrading words. In addition to these rude comments, the couple revealed that these trolls had also messaged and video called them to harass them further. They also received several death threats.
Amid this whirlwind that came out of nowhere, the couple found out they were not fighting alone. When news of this cross-border homophobia spread, Thai netizens rushed to their defence. Insults were hurled right back and the Thai-Indonesian online spat continued for days before dying down. Meanwhile, some Indonesians took to Twitter with the hashtag #IndonesiaSaySorryForThailand to express their apology on behalf of some people in their country.
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. The level of acceptance (or rather the lack thereof) towards LGBTI varies in different parts of the country. Being gay can incur social and legal repercussions. In recent years, there have been reports of gay men being caned publicly in Aceh province and gay saunas being raided by police in Jakarta, in addition to other forms of prejudice and opposition.
Despite their belief, it's still puzzling why these trolls would attack a gay wedding that took place in another country. But at least it was quite reassuring to see so many Thais ready to defend the couple and ward off this uninvited negativity.
FASHION TIPS
Being a Thai netizen is a full-time job these days. After battling Indonesian homophobes, the next target was a Thai YouTube show called Umm Kor Suay Yu (meaning: Umm, guess that's pretty) who give out beauty and fashion tips to callers. In a video clip, the three women who host the show took a call from a katoey who wanted advice on how to dress like a woman from "real" women. They began laughing at their caller's insecurity regarding body shape and wide shoulders and at one point criticised that the caller "can't possibly look like a woman" before making fat-shaming comments.
"Even though LGBTI people may seem like they're accepted, it's still a no for a man to dress up as a woman," commented one of the hosts who goes by the name Carrot.
The video clip later went viral, attracting widespread criticism and once again netizens rushed to express their opinions, which mostly condemned the YouTubers' attitude while showing support to non-conforming, gender-fluid fashion choice. The original clip has since been deleted. It was later revealed that the project is part of a student thesis for the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University (which was stated in the video's disclaimer, although not many people would have noticed it). The clip was staged and scripted, said the team but people were left wondering what exactly they were trying to achieve with this "social experiment" and how their supervisor approved this content. The faculty also released a statement online to apologise to the public, saying it will be more socially responsible in the future.
Gender fluidity and body positivity have increasingly been discussed, adopted and promoted in recent years. When we see someone like Billy Porter, Jonathan Van Ness, Harry Styles, or Thailand's own Koen Pataradanai, there's always a sense of liberation that follows them and their choice to be non-conforming. Fashion is queer and fluid, and if nothing else, this incident shows that more people at least respect the rights of others to dress as they see fit.
The hosts of Umm Kor Suay Yu said men shouldn't dress as women. Photo: www.youtube.com
MONTHLY SNIPPETS
Join Prof Vitit Muntarbhorn this Wednesday to learn more about LGBTI rights. The international human rights expert is set to host an online talk advocating for LGBTI rights internationally as well as the current legal situation in Thailand. The talk is organised by King Prajadhipok's Institute and will be available to watch on the institute's Facebook page on April 28, 10am-12pm. For more information, contact 02-141-9558.
Prof Vitit will host a talk on LGBTI rights this week. Photo: www.facebook.com/parliament.kpi
The Special Medical Centre of Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, is launching the Trans Wellness Clinic which will operate every Thursday between 4.30-8pm. The clinic is run by specialised medical professionals and aims to be a well-rounded health centre that caters to transgender people of all ages. Contact 043-366-444 or Line @smckku.
Ride Or Die is now available to stream on Netflix. Photo: Aiko Nakano/NETFLIX © 2021
The Japanese film Ride Or Die dropped on Netflix earlier this month. It follows Rei (Kiko Mizuhara), a lesbian going the extra mile to save her former classmate and first love Nanae (Honami Sato) from an abusive husband by murdering him. It's a thrilling road movie with a splash of blood and nudity. It gets messy. Things may not always make sense but that's love.
May 17 is around the corner! This will be the second International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia spent during the pandemic. Keep an eye out for activities on the day or check with your local organisations if they're planning any in-person or virtual events (subjected to change depending on the Covid-19 situation).
Prepare for Idahot next month. Photo: may17.org
