By Barry Kenyon

[Gaybutton]

Gay marriage in Thailand more complicated than it sounds

By Barry Kenyon

June 6, 2023

To judge from the optimistic comments of prospective prime minister Pita Limjaroenrat of the Move Forward party, securing gay marriage in Thailand should be a piece of cake. In a sense, he’s right. The military-backed government of General Prayut Chan-o-cha two years ago agreed legislation in principle. But the two bills in question, one guaranteeing marriage equality, but the other proposing a diluted civil partnership arrangement, were referred to parliamentary sub-committees and had not reported by the time of the May 2023 general election.

Gay rights advocate Mookdapa Yanguenpradorn argues that the answer can only be marriage equality. The civil union alternative falls short by legal definition, by failing to recognize pre-marriage gay engagements and by declining access to spousal benefits such as tax deductions and government pensions. So what’s the problem? In November 2021 the constitution court ruled that only a man and a woman could register a marriage, adding that supporters of gay marriage would need to amend section 1448 of the civil and criminal code. Gay activists in Thailand are obviously aware of the need to amend the constitution at the time of writing the marriage equality bill, but challenges would be likely to delay the process substantially.

Another issue is whether one of the partners in Thai gay marriage can be a foreigner. Taiwan, the first state in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages, initially restricted participation by foreigners to those countries which also recognized those unions. However, the nationality rule was rescinded in January 2023. The government of Vietnam in 2013 attempted gay rights legislation, even suggesting that two foreign persons might register their union in Vietnam, but all parliamentary moves on the entire subject were dropped the following year.

Khun Pita recently promised he would achieve his gay marriage aims in time for the world pride event to be held in Bangkok in 2028. He may not be far out with that prediction. Separately, Thailand’s gay population has not yet been hit by the internal rifts and disputes which have hit the movement in Europe and the United States. The acronym LGBTQQIP2SAA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit, asexual and ally), incorporates any form of non-traditional sexual identity. Not everyone likes that.

Some gay activists believe that the all-embracing definition is too radical and counter-productive. Can a transgender male-female woman actually be a lesbian? Is it appropriate to incorporate asexual people, who don’t fancy anybody, with pansexuals who are sort of the opposite? Should individuals be able legally to declare their own gender identity at birth rather than being told what it is? Should we scrap the terms male and female altogether? Sooner or later, these cantankerous debates will hit the gay movement in Thailand. Or, if you prefer, the alternative sexuality movement.

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... nds-433079

[Gaybutton]

I don't understand why there should be a fuss or complexity about it or, if Barry is right, why it should take a least until 2028 for anything to come about.

I wish people could just leave each other alone. I see absolutely no reason why a couple, no matter what kind of sexual identity, transgender, or anything else, can't get married if that is what they want to do and have the same rights and privileges as any heterosexual couple.

[Dodger]

Pita made it crystal clear from the beginning that the "Marriage Equality" law he would be pushing through parliament means exactly that..."Equality".

I'm interpreting this exactly the way I believe he intends for it to be interpreted, meaning; gay people, regardless of their unique sexual identities, will be allowed to marry under the same law as str8 couples with exactly the same benefits. Current Thai law recognizes and approves marriages between Thai nationals and foreigners, so there's no reason to believe that the new law (intended to be EQUAL) would prohibit marriages between gay Thais and gay foreigners.

The MOU that the new coalition government signed two weeks ago listed the legalization of gay marriage initiate as one that would be planned to be addressed in parliament within the first 100 days of the new government taking office. Pita did mention the advantages of Thailand permitting gay marriage in the context of the 2028 International Gay Pride event, which only makes sense, but at no time did Pita (or anyone else from the new coalition) suggest that it may take until 2028 to get this law approved in parliament. Quite the contrary.

[Gaybutton]

If all goes well, hopefully Dodger will be proven right.

[Daleinpattaya]

I sure hope so, but I just cannot see the powers that be letting him actually taking office … but then all hell will break loose once again.

[Gaybutton]

Pattaya takes gay pride festival in its stride

By Barry Kenyon

June 12, 2023

The Jomtien pride carnival last weekend displayed the resort’s sexual diversity in all its splendor, not to say feathers. Hundreds of mainly young Thais thronged the beach road on Saturday afternoon for three hours, narrowly missing the earlier rains. Assembled were soberly dressed enthusiasts, drag queens, amateur cabaret stars, staff from bars and massage parlors, often wearing home-made glitzy costumes that left little to the imagination. Foreigners mostly kept away from the floats, although a few waved a rainbow flag or cheered from the sidelines.

Political input, as usual, was low key. There were signs and posters embracing sexual diversity, promoting marriage equality and an end to traditional gender norms. The only complaint came from a cross-dressing star who said the high wind was making it difficult to hold her placard aloft. The semi-radical Move Forward party, which swept the Pattaya area in the recent general election, has promised early legislation to introduce single-sex marriages but the demonstrators avoided promoting politics or the popular MF leader Pita Limjaroenrat. Unlike Bangkok, controversy is not usually the Pattaya style.

Saturday evening (sponsored by SWING) was devoted to parties, cabarets and special social events in Jomtien Complex: a street of bars, massage options and restaurants which is the hub of fun city’s gay nightlife alongside competitor Boyztown in central Pattaya. Post-event social media were swamped by thousands of camp photos and happy comments, mostly placed by Thais in their own language. The pride event’s main achievement was doubtless to encourage group solidarity, although it also proved to the general public (as if they didn’t know) that sexual diversity is an indispensable element of this seaside tourist resort, based on large international arrivals.

A few farang internet warriors recorded their warm support, but most remained silent. A handful of skeptics took to Facebook to describe parade participants as mental patients on the loose, or to comment it was no wonder that Thailand was becoming a super-aged society. The English press, which revelled weekly in Pattaya sex tales 20 years ago, appears mostly to have ignored the event. The newspapers over there have lost interest in Pattaya unless there’s a foreign pedophile arrest or a Brit has been injured in an accident and can’t pay the bill. None the less, one popular daily did publish short story of a real woman who was selected as a cabaret show girl in a gay club. That’s entertainment.

By Monday morning, life was back to normal, or as normal as it gets in Pattaya. A few rainbow flags still hung from lampposts and a huge public TV screen near Jomtien Complex still carried the warm congratulations of City Hall and hopes for an equal future. But the caution is that the pink pound has always been a huge cash market in international Pattaya. As resort Pattaya changes in so many directions, whilst the number of Brit/European, American and Australian visitors and retiree expats declines relative to size, the question is how much longer the traditional gay scene catering for single men can survive. As the former cabaret star Eggz Benedict asked, “Why do so many farang customers these days have bald heads?”

Story and photos: https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ide-433526

[Dodger]

Not meant as any criticism toward Barry - as I usually enjoy his articles, I think he totally missed the ball on this one.

IMHO...the real story underlying the Pride event this year was the fact that the Gay Scene in Pattaya has come close to fully reviving itself after suffering the major collapse caused by covid...all credited to a herculean effort by gay business owners.

As a result there has been a measurable increase in gay visitors to Pattaya (not just bald guys sitting around) as Barry eluded to, which is another key point I think Barry missed. The story...in my eyes...could have been more focused on the major accomplishments made in the Pattaya gay community as a whole, which was really the underlying theme of "Pride" this year.

Also, the suggestion made by Barry that some people consider the Move Forward coalition government as being "semi-radical" is not only a bit off-base - but not very forward-thinking IMO. Maybe some of the generals consider Pita to be semi-radical, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a young person (or a gay person) who shares these sentiments...

Just my two cents.

[Gaybutton]

Just my two cents.

I agree - and I think what you wrote is worth very many times more than two cents . . .

[Gaybutton]

City Hall pluses and minuses at heart of Pattaya expat assessments

By Barry Kenyon

June 17, 2023

A random survey of 80 expats in Pattaya has praised some services offered by City Hall whilst expressing exasperation at others. The survey was conducted June 15-16 by interview or by phone to English-speaking longstayers, mostly with retirement extensions of stay or work permits. They were asked to list the best and worst aspects of life in Pattaya in 2023.

Top of the plus list was the City Hall 24-hour emergency and complaints number 1337 which over three quarters of respondents had either used or were well acquainted. “The call center has English speakers who can pass on messages to the water or electricity departments,” said one British responder, “including broken pipes, faulty meters and blown down cables.” Several respondents claimed to have successfully used the service to report street lamp failures, stolen cars left outside their house and even noisy neighbors (which led to the provision of a decibel machine to monitor the volume).

City Hall aside, the other positive features of life in Pattaya commonly listed were the excellent choice of restaurants and eateries, accessibility of many golf courses, night life variety and cheapness relative to the cost of living in Bangkok or Phuket. Over a third mentioned the Pattaya City Expats Club as being a useful source of information, particularly as regards health and immigration-related matters, as well as a social gathering ground for like-minded people. Two thirds of respondents said Pattaya was still their first choice even though the city has changed enormously over the past 20 years. “Yes it’s a concrete jungle now”, said one, “but you can easily escape it in the suburbs or on the so-called Dark Side.”

On the negative front, City Hall was again center-stage. Almost all respondents criticized the long delays in finishing the road works, especially on Second Road and Soi Threppasit, with a flurry of excuses coming from City Hall and promises which were not kept. City Hall awards the contracts but does not actually hire the workers, Thai or foreign. Traffic jams were a preoccupation of over half the respondents. Further complaints included too many pageants and festivals which made traffic matters worse and use of tour buses on minor roads. So-called improvements such as the center-road concrete humps on Threppasit Road to prevent motorbikes and cars turning right also came under fire as likely to cause accidents (they already have).

Again, City Hall aside, the downsides of contemporary life in Pattaya included the high cost of medical attention in the private sector, lack of health insurance especially amongst the over 70s, and fears that home countries in Europe had made it more difficult for expats to be treated there. Linked to health worries, two thirds of respondents were concerned about possible immigration changes to make medical cover compulsory. Already, three million baht in cover (or an equivalent sum in available cash) is a technical requirement for O/A retirement extensions and the new 10-year Long Term Resident visa. Indeed, variations in immigration procedures from office to office, and even within offices, were a constant refrain. “It feels like plant bargaining,” said one feisty retiree.

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/city-h ... nts-433919

[Gaybutton]

I have made my own major peeve quite clear many times - the 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account requirement for the retirement visa.

Specific to Pattaya, my major complaints are the tour buses and the road work. Regarding the road work, it does take a very long time for the work to be completed and there are far too many times when the work turns out to be shoddy. The same roads get torn up again, usually within a couple years - and then that repair work is just as shoddy.

One more complaint - I can't think of one good reason why go-go bars are verboten in Jomtien Complex. Maybe with new administrations coming in that will change, but I'm not holding my breath.

Something needs to be done about the influx of cars, all trying to get to the beach, during holidays and the tremendous traffic jams that result. People can be stuck in traffic for hours and then, when they finally get where they're trying to go, there's no place to park. And heaven help you if there is an emergency and you need to quickly get to a hospital during those traffic jams.

I agree with those who say there are too many excuses instead of much significant action.