Comedian Shane Bhatla is working with activist organisation OutBKK to create a safe space for LGBTQ people in Bangkok to be able to perform and celebrate who they are without being judged or ridiculed.
Bhatla started his programme, called "We're Queer, We're Here", in early 2016. The biannual event started small but has been growing steadily over the years, and hosts a variety of different performances by LGBTQ entertainers including musical numbers, drag shows and comedy acts.
"I felt that Bangkok didn't really have a platform where I could feel comfortable performing," says Bhatla. "Now we have an event where we welcome any minority who feels segregated or marginalised. We mostly see LGBTQ people, but we are more than happy to host any minority on stage."
Shane Bhatla, middle, poses with the drag performers at OutBKK's National Coming Out Day. Banchar Itririmalai
Being a female-to-male transgender himself, Bhatla knows precisely what kind of challenges LGBTQ people face on a daily basis. He also knows all too well the other problems that can arise for someone when they don't feel comfortable with who they are.
Growing up, Bhatla struggled with depression, ADHD and a sexuality he wasn't able to define for many years. To make matters worse, living with what he describes as "very traditional Indian parents", there weren't many opportunities for him to talk through some of these things with which he was struggling.
"We never really had a strong relationship," says Bhatla. "In Indian households, you don't really talk about your feelings much. You just show grades, and if they are good, then you are good."
Around age 11, all the confusion surrounding what he was feeling started to play itself out in the classroom, and Bhatla's grades severely dropped. Bhatla's trouble with meeting his parents' academic expectations led to even more strain in their relationship and his mental health.
"I couldn't even explain it to them because I didn't know what was wrong myself. So whenever I was scolded for it, I just took it," says Bhatla. "I really didn't want to disappoint them, so I kept trying to keep myself together, but it backfired."
These issues lingered for the next 10 years of his life. The confusion and uncertainty turned into a slow process of discovering who he was. Bhatla first came out as a gay woman, followed by coming out as gender-queer before finally coming out as transgender during his first ever stand-up performance at Overground Bar's open mic night.
Despite the self-deprecating style of his comedy, stand-up became a much-needed outlet for Bhatla. The Bangkok native started to use comedy to escape the difficulties and bigotry he faced daily, in a city he describes as "very contradictory" when it comes to the acceptance of transgenders.
Stand-up comedy also became a platform where Bhatla could talk about these same LGBTQ issues that he has faced throughout his life. Both Bhatla and Puri believe being able to talk about things like LGBTQ rights in a fun, lighthearted and informative way, like comedy, is vital for discussing important but controversial societal issues.
Shane Bhatla, front, poses with friends and co-workers at National Coming Out Day. Banchar Itririmalai
"I'm an activist, and I'm a comedian. I'm like the baseline of the two," says Bhatla. "One of the things that sets me apart from other comedians is I try to bring activism to comedy and try to educate people through comedy."
"[Shane] uses comedy to open up people's minds to accepting LGBTQ rights," says Himangini Puri, his friend. "I find this is a great approach as people can have a laugh, while also addressing some very pressing issues in our society."
Over time, using comedy as an "escape from bigotry" soured and he began hearing homophobic and transphobic jokes at many of the open-mic nights he was attending, and he no longer felt comfortable performing at many of these places. Because of this, Bhatla hasn't been to an open mic night in over a year in protest of the bigotry present in the Bangkok comedy scene.
Bhatla has used the time away to focus on other things like his activism work with OutBKK, helping others in similar situations feel comfortable in their skin, and working on his mental health -- something he has realised is vital for both his activism work and his well-being.
"Sometimes you kind of need to take a step back. And it's OK to deny help to other people if you feel like you need to focus on yourself first to be better help for them. That is one of my main focuses right now," says Bhatla.
One thing Bhatla says he will never be able to walk away from is his work with OutBKK. Now that the movement to legalise same-sex marriage in Thailand has put LGBTQ issues in the forefront, their work is just getting started.
"With the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the coming months, OutBKK will be taken more seriously because awareness is there," says Bhatla. "We are now going to focus on trans rights and the legalisation of gender change. We are not going to stop fighting."
