Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

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Gaybutton
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Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

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Not all that many photos online that I could find. If any of you were there and have photos to share, please post.
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Bangkok celebrates first Pride parade in 16 years

June 6, 2022

Bangkok saw an explosion of glamour, gilt, and glitter Sunday as the country's LGBTQ community celebrated their first Pride parade in almost 16 years -- but attendees warned true equality was still distant.

Bangkok's "Naruemit Pride 2022" -- Naruemit means "creation" in Thai -- was organised by a coalition of non-governmental groups with the city's newly ratified Governor Chadchart Sittipunt also throwing his weight behind it.

Allies and people of all genders, including drag artists, sex workers, feminists and even a few furries -- people who are interested in or dress up as animal characters with human personalities -- bounded down one of the megalopolis's main throughways for the first official parade since 2006.

"I feel so happy," said grinning drag queen Johnnie Phurikorn, who had paired his red lipstick with an exuberant scarlet ruffled dress for his first Pride.

"I feel glad and thankful to have this moment," the 31-year-old said, but added that his country needed to do more to support LGBTQ individuals.

While the country has a highly visible LGBTQ community, many still face major hurdles and discrimination in the conservative Buddhist-majority kingdom.

"I don't want people to think we are different," said Maysa Petkam, a competitor in transgender beauty pageant Miss Tiffany Universe.

"We don't want more rights than other genders, we only want basic rights," she said, noting how the community still faced daily discrimination.

"I wish same-sex marriage law passes so that there will be laws that protect and decrease gender inequality," she added, steadying her vertiginous crown as she emphasised her point.

A right to love

For engaged couple Anticha Sangchai and Vorawan Ramwan, the question of marriage equality was particularly pertinent.

The pair in diaphanous white gowns caught the crowd's attention -- and later social media -- with their wedding ceremony in the midst of the parade.

"My beloved friends walk together and gave us a special moment in our life," Anticha told AFP, calling the experience among the crowds an "honour".

Parliament has yet to legalise same-sex marriage, with the cabinet in March pushing back a proposal recognising the unions equally.

"Everyone has the right of raising a family, love and marriage with anyone they love," Anticha said.

"Why we can't do that as a human being?"

As the pair headed off with the end of the official parade, the party was not quite over.

A large group congregated under one of the city's metro stations -- partially blocking a major road -- and gave an impromptu drag show to songs by Madonna, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

It looked set to continue into the night as the crowd, many hanging over railings and crammed into street corners, screamed each performance as they chanted the lyrics of Perry's "I kissed a girl and I liked it".

https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social ... n-16-years
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Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

Post by Trongpai »

https://www.facebook.com/bangkokpride/

Reminiscent of Pride 2003, a very Thai event. No farang participation unless I missed it and not a lot of farang observers. Most of the promotional notices were in Thai media or posters only in Thai.

The Pride event I went to in Taiwan in 2019 was more international.
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Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

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Trongpai wrote: Mon Jun 06, 2022 12:35 pm No farang participation unless I missed it and not a lot of farang observers.
You didn't miss it. The only article I found in all of the English language media is the one above. It hasn't even been mentioned anywhere else. I don't know why. Oh well, I suppose we can start playing more guessing games about why.
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Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

Post by Trongpai »

Gaybutton wrote: Mon Jun 06, 2022 1:58 pm You didn't miss it. The only article I found in all of the English language media is the one above.
Clarifying my statement: I was an observant in the crowd and what I did not see unless I missed it was any farang business or personal involvement or participation in the parade. There were a few farangs watching the parade but very few and seemed to just be there by chance.

Observations based on personal witnessing of about 80% of the whole event. Others might be able to add, correct or clarify.
Jun

Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

Post by Jun »

Trongpai wrote: Mon Jun 06, 2022 12:35 pm The Pride event I went to in Taiwan in 2019 was more international.
I congratulate the Thais on arranging an event, but from the pictures, I wouldn't be that gutted at accidentally missing it.
The Taiwan events look far more interesting.

I'd imagine they would have had some kind of promotional material in the obvious places beforehand, like soi 4 etc ?
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Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

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Jun wrote: Mon Jun 06, 2022 5:37 pm I'd imagine they would have had some kind of promotional material in the obvious places beforehand, like soi 4 etc ?
Not unless they were seeking the presence of farang. Apparently, for whatever reason, that was not what they wanted.
Jun

Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote: Mon Jun 06, 2022 5:42 pm Not unless they were seeking the presence of farang. Apparently, for whatever reason, that was not what they wanted.
There is evidence that the members of this board haven't seen any English language promotional material.

To get from that to concluding they were not seeking the presence of farang requires a lot of assumptions.

Board members not seeing promotional material might be due to members not looking in the right places, simple oversight by the organisers or deciding to concentrate a limited promotional budget on the 99% not the 1%. All of which seem plausible.
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Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

Post by Trongpai »

In the past Farang organized Pride events were met with official obstruction and in the case in Chiang Mai with extreme prejudice and threats.

This Pride event seems to have political support.
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Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

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Jun wrote: Mon Jun 06, 2022 5:55 pm To get from that to concluding they were not seeking the presence of farang requires a lot of assumptions.

Board members not seeing promotional material might be due to members not looking in the right places
I believe my assumption is correct, corroborated by Trongpai's post above. As for not looking in the right places, English language places, where do you suppose those right places that we all missed might have been? I heard nothing about this until it was over. And if I had not spotted that article in the Bangkok Post, I still would know nothing about it.

In any case, in my opinion the only gay pride parades in Thailand that have ever been worth anything were the ones in Phuket. Other than that, I doubt many of us would have been made to feel welcome. The one I'd like to see some time, if they ever do them again, is the one in Taipei.
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Re: Bangkok Pride parade - first in 16 years

Post by Trongpai »

I would have posted an advance notice but I only found out about the parade about an hour before it started. The BF asked me if I was going to the parade and I asked, what parade? He said that he had told me a week ago, no you did not, I replied. Then he reminded me of his infallibility and I must not have been listening to him.

I arrived a little late and left before it ended.

So, there you have it, it was all my fault for not putting out an advance notice.
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