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A GLBTQ EDUCATION INTERNET RESOURCES The Middle East to Asia (4): Southeast Asia: Mekong Region

Index: Asia & Middle East -  - Race/Ethnic Minority Issues: U.S., Canada, Europe,  New Zealand & Australia -  -  Latin America / Africa -  - Homosexuality:  Biological  or  Learned ? -  -  Public School Issues -  - Transgender / Tranvestite / Transsexual -  - Lesbian  &  Bisexual Women -  - Homo-Negativity / Phobia -  - Identity Formation  &  Coming Out -  - Counseling  &  Therapy -  - Professional Education  -  - Bisexuality -  - Religion   &  Spirituality -  - Male  Youth Prostitution -  - HIV-AIDS -  - Gay & Bisexual Male Suicide Problems -  - Drug / Alcohol Use / Abuse / Addiction  -  - GLBT  History -  - Community Attributes  &  Problems - -  Couples / Families / Children / Adoption / Spousal Violence -  - The Elderly

The Middle East to Asia: Southeast Asia

Full Text Papers!  - - AsiaPacifiQueer 3

Sexualities, Genders, And Rights in Asia: An International Conference of Asian Queer Studies Bangkok, Thailand, July 8-10, 2005 Closing date for submitting paper and panel proposals: October 31, 2004

Section Index

Part 4 - Southeast Asia - Mekong Region (This Page): Vietnam - Web Resources - Books. -- Thailand - Web Resources - Books. -- Cambodia -- Laos - Full Text Papers.  

Part 1 - Middle East to Central Asia: Central Asia: - Middle East / Eastern Mediterranean Region: - Iran -- Israel -- Palestine -- Lebanon -- Jordan -- Saudi Arabia -- Kuwait -- Iraq -- Bahrain -- Oman -- Yemen -- Syria -- Egypt -- Algeria -- Morocco -- Tunisia -- Turkey -- Cyprus -- Afghanistan -- Kazakhstan -- Kyrgyzstan -- Uzbekistan -- Turkmenistan-- Tajikistan.

Part 2 - South Asia: South Asia - Web Resources - Bibliographies - Books: - India - Films -- Bangladesh -- Nepal -- Sri Lanka -- Pakistan -- Bhutan -- Maldives -- Full Text Papers.

Part 3 - Northeast Asia: - China - History - Films - Web Resources. -- Hong Kong - Films - Web Resources. -- Taiwan  - Films - Web Resources. -- Tibet -- Mongolia -- South Korea - Web Resources. -- Japan - History  - Films - Web Resources - Books -- Full Text Papers.

Part 5 - Southeast Asia (Not Including Mekong Region): Singapore - Web Resources - Books. -- Malaysia - Web Resources - Books. -- Philippines - Web Resources - Books. -- Indonesia -- East Timor -- Burma -- Brunei -- Guam -- Nauru -- Full Text Papers.

Part 6 - General Asian Resources --- International Issues & Resources.

SOUTHEAST ASIA: Mekong Region

VIETNAM - On the Legality of Homosexuality in Vietnam... - Gay Vietnam (Hanoi): Crouching Love, Hidden Passion.  - Touchy subject out of the closet. - Vietnam's gays begin to gain recognition. - Vietnam Media Call Homosexuality "Social Evil," Vow Crackdown. - Trying to overcome the gay taboo in Vietnamese-American Families. - Explore The Vietnamese Gay Scene. The book you have been waiting for! - Gay Life Is Persecuted and Condemned in Vietnam. - The Call for Gay and Human Rights of Vietnamese Gay and Lesbians. - LGBT rights in Vietnam. - Forbidden colours: Gay women in Vietnam.  - Gay British pianist banned in Hanoi. - Vietnam: le déni de l'homosexualité fait le lit du sida.

On Vietnamese Terms for Homosexuality. - Vietnamese Authorities Confirm Gay Wedding N/A. - Closet Gays Slowly Coming Out: "Previously, alternative lifestyles were not widely discussed in Vietnam and topics such as homosexuality were considered taboo in communist-ruled Vietnam. " - Chung: A new year: Vietnamese and openly gay.  - Gay Vietnam (Saigon, Hoi An and Hue): Crouching Love, Hidden Passion. - Rong Tien N/A (Dragon Fairy) was created to provide a safe and open environment for Vietnamese lesbians, bisexuals, and women who are questioning their sexual identity.

From Saigon to San Francisco: Two Journeys: "When he was 17, Lam realized that he was attracted to men. "I was completely scared, so scared. In Vietnam it was really bad. If you acted gay or like a woman they teased you. It was really painful." In school the word "gay" wasn't known. Instead the French word "pede" was used derogatorily for men who looked or acted feminine. However, Lam never felt he had to be "pede" to have a relationship with another man. At 19, Lam won a scholarship to visit a university in Singapore for two weeks. On his return, Lam met his first boyfriend while waiting in the airport. Ironically, they were speaking English and Lam assumed that he was Chinese since the man never told him he was a Vietnamese government official. The older man had given him a fake phone number so Lam had to wait four months before he called. "He was the first I ever had sex with." The older man lived in the North while Lam lived in the South, so over the next year they saw each other only about twice a month."

Viet Nam: Culture: "In Viet Nam men touch other men and even hold hands with male (not female) friends in public without there being any homosexual implications.  Beyond the American overtone of homosexuality, there was a sense of a violation of the American’s individual person and space by someone with a more relational sense of reality." - Vietnamese paintings (including a gay artist, Truong Tan). - Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center Decries November Arrest of Gay Men in Vietnam. (Alternate Link) - Vietname Part 1: A Guide for First-time Visitors. - Vietnam Part Two: North of Saigon.  - Police Raid Saigon Sauna. - Two Saigon Men Jailed for Operating a Gay Brothel.

Nguyen Frienship Society N/A: (Archive Link) "We are a group of about 50 volunteers working to prevent HIV/AIDS among gay and bisexual men in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. We are happy to have this opportunity to introduce ourselves to you. Because there is considerable gay discrimination in Vietnam and because groups like ours are not considered legal, we work very quietly. Our friends abroad publish this Internet information for us, and act as our "Ambassadors" to the outside world. They also provide moral, technical and organizational support, carry information and materials, and raise money. - Gay sex and the risk of AIDS in Vietnam. - HIV/STD Infection. - Social construction of male homosexualities in Vietnam. Some keys to understanding discrimination and implications for HIV prevention strategy. - Transsexualism in Vietnam.

Men who Have Sex with Men in Ha Noi: Who are They and What are their Sexual Health Needs? (Dinh Thai Son, Institute for Social Development Studies) (Abstract, Must Scroll: PDF Download. Full text): "Since the late 1990s, the Vietnamese government has acknowledged the importance of men’s sexual health in its overall efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. Nevertheless, MSM remains a reluctant area for discussion, not to mention intervention, for the reasons mentioned above. But as long as the silence surrounding MSM is not broken, the group will continue to be vulnerable to the epidemic, excluded from health education programs and invisible to health services, and their vulnerability will continue to pose a threat for HIV transmission to the larger community. It is important that efforts are made to meet MSM’s needs for improvement of sexual health and social well-being, and hence to ensure that their rights are respected and protected. This requires insights into the psychosocial world of MSM and their needs in order to raise awareness of researchers, public health professionals, society and the state, and to help designing appropriate policies and interventions."

AIDS and HIV in Viet Nam: "Vietnam's health officials are also hobbled by some rudimentary misconceptions. I have been told by these officials time and time again that "because there is no homosexuality here, AIDS is not a Vietnamese problem."  Both tenets in this statement are equally absurd. While homosexual behavior may be culturally proscribed, a taboo of sorts, it would be ludicrous to suggest that it does not occur. Further, even in the presumed absence of  homosexuality, high risk behaviors engaged in by heterosexual couples are as high risk as these behaviors engaged in by homosexual couples." -  HIV knowledge and risk factors among men who have sex with men in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. - 'Face up to the truth': helping gay men in Vietnam protect themselves from AIDS. - Men who have sex with men and HIV in Vietnam: a review (Excerpt). - Training HIV Counselors about MSM in Vietnam (PDF Download). - 'Face up to the truth': helping gay men in Vietnam protect themselves from AIDS. - Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with HIV Infection Among Men Having Sex with Men in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (Excerpt)

HIV/STD Infection [Vietnam]: One example is the subject of homosexuality. The Vietnamese technical terms for homosexuality, "nguoi dong tinh" and "nguoi dong luyen ai" (literally "people-same-love") are meaningless to most Vietnamese people. A group of researchers from Doctors Without Borders in Vietnam found that the term "men who have sex with men" when translated into Vietnamese, had no meaning, either to doctors, homosexual men, female sex workers, or members of the Vietnamese Provisional AIDS Committees (Wilson, 1999). The most popular term for men who have sex with men, "lai cai," reflects the association between perceived feminine traits, "walking like women, having soft hands, being talented in sewing, makeup, cooking, and singing," with homosexuality in that it literally means "half man, half woman" (Carrier, 1992). This lack of suitable terms for homosexuality reflects the strong cultural taboo against homosexuality. It also represents the official denial by Vietnamese government spokesmen that there is no evidence for homosexuality in their country. This is in spite of a published report by Doctors Without Borders who piloted AID/HIV prevention outreach to men who had sex with men and described themselves as "gay" or "be de," a slang word equivalent to queer.

Using Social Networks to Reach MSM for HIV Prevention in Vietnam (Must Scroll): MSM in HCMC can be categorized into two broad groups: bong kin and bong lo. Bong kin are outwardly masculine and due to social stigma often hide their sexual orientation. Bong lo assume a feminine gender; wearing female clothing, jewellery, and make-up, and using feminine mannerisms. Both socialize mostly within their own group. Bong Kin usually have other bong kin as sexual partners, while the sexual partners of bong lo are usually heterosexually-identified men. Both group engage in risky sexual behavior, such as unprotected anal sex or oral sex with ejaculation; and hold many misconceptions about their risk of HIV and STDs. Water-based lubricants are rarely used. Bong lo often face discrimination in society, such as not being allowed entrance to entertainment establishments and difficulty in finding a job.

Men who have sex with men in Vietnam - Sexuality & Prostitution (Part 1): (Part 2) "(Synopsis of Men engaged in having sex with men in Viet Nam - a Hanoi snapshot - by S. Doussantousse, Ngoc Anh (researchers) and L. Tooke, (specialist writer and editor) Hanoi, April 2002.): The authors of this paper have conducted fifteen unstructured interviews with individuals, including prostitutes, clients and intermediaries, in Hanoi during recent weeks. All respondents were invited to speak freely in confidence, and did so with minimal prompting... The men selling sex that we contacted in Hanoi were mainly between 18 and 23 years of age, although there was some indication that boys in their low teens could be 'made available' for clients, particularly older foreigners... For the purposes of this paper, we have assumed that the clients of male prostitutes in Hanoi are homosexuals or bisexuals. However, we recognise that in many countries, masculinity is confirmed by marriage and parenthood rather than explicitly heterosexual behaviour. Affection between men, physical contact and sharing beds are socially acceptable and create opportunities for sexual contact as a pleasurable activity rather than an expression of sexuality. It is, therefore possible that some clients pay for sex with men because it is 'safer' (i.e. less likely to attract police attention), less likely to lead to HIV infection or more convenient than using a female prostitute... Around half the sexual encounters appeared to be for masturbation and oral sex. However, penetrative anal sex was commonplace. Typically, the prostitutes we talked to were forthcoming about anal sex with clients, but often emphasised that it was active - they penetrated the client rather than the reverse. However, some of those who had not identified themselves as homo- or bisexual were guarded in their responses when questioned about their experience of being penetrated. Their responses indicated that that they were unwilling to talk about the matter, suggesting that cultural imperatives, perhaps relating to 'face', might be operating. Self-identified homosexual prostitutes, on the other hand, appeared to have no inhibitions when talking about being the passive partner..."

No Queers Here: "But other results from UC Irvine’s World Values Survey in Vietnam indicate Little Saigon residents may   have much in common with their counterparts in the homeland. In the random sample of 1,000 Vietnamese across Vietnam, 82 percent responded that homosexuality was never legitimate, and another 92 percent   condemned prostitution. Other bad behavior: suicide (86 percent opposed), abortion (61 percent), euthanasia (51 percent) and divorce (50 percent)." - Gay life in Vietnam: There are no exclusively-gay venues in Vietnam, so do not waste your time if you are going only for the nightlife. Both Saigon and Hanoi have several mixed bars and discos that attract local gay people and Saigon has a restaurant where local gays go to see and be seen on Sunday mornings. The "scene" seems to move around every night, prompted by a flurry of SMSing. Unless you know someone these places  may be difficult to find. Nevertheless, most Vietnamese are very friendly and easy to meet, keeping in mind that people in the north are conservative and stony-faced until they get to know you. English is widely spoken. We will provide more information in our "Before You Go" information...

MultiCulti: Hundreds of gays stage riotous parade in southern Vietnam: "   Hundreds of homosexuals flocked to a hotel in southern Vietnam's Ba Ria-Vung Tau to stage a gay fashion parade that an official youth daily dubbed a "monstrosity". Gays from several neighbouring regions turned out for the special fashion show and dance last week in Long Hai city, Thanh Nien daily said Monday. The evening was "highly frenzied" and the dances progressively degenerated with the gays sporting "very revealing" outfits, provoking wild cheers and cries among the audience, it said..."

Panel explores challenge of covering LGBT issues around the world: "Binh Nguyen has three friends. Meeting via Internet in the United States, Austria and Vietnam, they had grown close sharing their experiences as gay Vietnamese men... "It's almost impossible [to be out]," Nguyen said, explaining the isolation of his gay friends in Vietnam. "Media itself over there is controlled by the government. It would be considered too liberal to be allowed to be out."

Vietnam Media Call Homosexuality "Social Evil," Vow Crackdown: "Vietnam's state-run media recently declared homosexuality a "social evil" on par with drug use and prostitution and proposed laws to allow the arrest of gay couples. A report by the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs said the number of gay couples is on the rise, though it offered no statistics.

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Vietnam: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

First International Conference of Asian Queer Studies (2005): Papers available for download. - The 2005 Conference Abstracts: Many of these possible papers were either not presented or not made avaible as full text papers (PDF Download) (Alternate Link). - Titles for abstracts of these paper: related to Vietnam:  - - Sons and Lovers: Gay Saigon (Robert Don Adams, Florida Atlantic University). - Using Social Networks to Reach MSM for HIV Prevention in Vietnam (Donn Colby, Harvard University). - Men who Have Sex with Men in Ha Noi: Who are They and What are their Sexual Health Needs? (Dinh Thai Son, Institute for Social Development Studies).

Resource Links:  - Long Yang Club (Berlin): Vietnam (German) N/A. (Archive Link) - Gay Vietnamese Alliance. - Utopia: Lesbian Resources. 

Gay Hanoi (Global Gayz): - News/Reports 1997-07. - ILGA Report. - Lesbian and gay Vietnam N/A. (Archive Link)

GayVietVoiceLinks. - Utopia's Vietnam Resources. - Forbidden Color's Links. - Gayscape. - Pridelinks.

Books: - Award-winning Vietnamese novelist breaks taboo on homosexuality: Anh Tan: "It was a little bit difficult at first when I started writing this novel for it is the first book of its kind in Vietnam, so I am very happy that it was recognized with this award... Bui Anh Tan, a former crime reporter for the state-run Ho Chi Minh City Police newspaper, was awarded the 1,000 dollar "For the National Security and Peaceful Life" prize for his 400-page novel "A World Without Women" last week... he deliberately moulded his plot around the underground world of homosexual men because it was a taboo subject in the deeply traditional Vietnamese society. - Mot The Gioi Khong Co Dan Ba (A World Without Women), published in 2000, Bui Anh Tan’s book about gay men was the first Vietnamese novel to touch on the issue of homosexuality and it quickly became a bestseller... - Vietnamese TV crime series enters gay territory. - Busting a Taboo: nterview with Abh Tan in the Far Eastern Economic Review: "Tan, a 36-year-old reporter in Ho Chi Minh City, sticks to plain prose in his tale of interlocking gay lives. The main character is a closet gay scientist who learns he has the HIV virus. Despairing, he arranges to be murdered by a gay hit man. Meanwhile, the handsome policeman investigating the case is also a closet gay. But at least he's in a loving relationship with a gay bar-owner, who gives voice to the author's appeal for tolerance: "People like me are also human beings," the bar-owner pleads at one stage. "We also want to be loved, to breathe, to live." - Prize winning author breaks Vietnam's gay taboo. - Novel breaks Vietnam's gay sex taboo.- Vietnamese novelist breaks taboo on homosexuality.

Women of the world: A couple of years ago, even the action was thought merely as a good relationship, but these days homosexuality is an issue that cannot be ignored in modern society. One person who isn’t ignoring the topic is writer Bui Anh Tan. His book Les-Vong Tay Khong Dan Ong (Women Without Men) is now being published following the success of his first, Mot The Gioi Khong Co Dan Ba (A World Without Women), a book based on gay men, that was turned into a successful film series shown on VTV3. In this second novel, Tan follows the lives of five gay female characters from different social classes. His explorations of these sensitive topics, boldly brought to life with his sharp writing, are attempts to help the public at large understand the issues better...

Books: - The Men of Viet Nam: A Travel Guide to Gay Viet Nam - 1998 - by Douglas Thompson. - The Innocent - 1997 - by Robert Taylor (A Novel). - 

THAILAND - The Gay Scene in Thailand: Culture and Customs. - Gays to get equal status under new Thai charter. - Thailand OKs Gay, Transsexual Soldiers. - The "gay scene" as it related to gay tourists in Patong. - Going gay after classes - Necessity forcing male students to sell bodies (Bangkok). - Thailand: Paradise Not  (on human rights and homophobia). - Pattaya Gay Festival. - Bangkok Gay Festival. .- Bangkok Pride Coalition: is a membership group made up of individuals, community-based organizations, and Bangkok businesses. The purpose the organization is to organize entertainment and information events that promote a positive image of the gay and lesbian community in Bangkok and to raise money for community needs. The group first organized in 2001 to plan events to coincide with the Bangkok Gay Festival and Parade.  - Bangkok's 2006 Gay Pride Festival. - Phuket hosts the biggest gay party in Asia. - Gay Rights in Thailand 2007. - A new dawn awaits Thailand’s gay & ladyboy community. - hsts in Singapore: In Singapore and most of SE Asia where I'm from... transgirls like myself mostly start off as gay boys first... and then later branch away from the gay community to transition as women. It is loosely termed as the sisterhood here because the girls here hang out together a lot, both for guidance from older sisters and friendship... - Teaching Transgender Victims of Sexual Violence how to Access Legal Rights in Chiang Mai Thailand (Video).

 Thailand wants to retain 'most gay-friendly' title. - Thai Beau: Behind the door in gay Bangkok. - Lesbians in Thailand Speak Out. - Thai Lesbian Group to Campaign in Schools. - The fluidity of Thai women's gendered and sexual subjectivities. - “Gay Marriage” in Thailand. - Thai Gay Cultures. - Mixed reviews for bangkok gay parade. - Thaïlande, un paradis fragile. - Talk About Sexuality in Thailand: Notion, Identity, Gender Bias, Women, Gay, Sex Education and Lust (PDF Download). - From Transgender in Thailand N/A: (Archive Link) Queer in Thailand. - Thai Transvestites, Gays Protest TV Clampdown. - Nightlife in Bangkok: Gay & Lesbian Scene. - The Prevalence of Bisexual and Homosexual Orientation and Related Health Risks Among Adolescents in Northern Thailand: We conclude that HB adolescents in northern Thailand are at greater and different health risks than are their heterosexual counterparts. Differential health education messages for HB and heterosexual youth are warranted... - Sexual Behavior of Secondary School Students in Bangkok Metropolis. - Sexual coercion among adolescents in northern Thailand: Prevalence and risk factors (2000).

Thailand, gayness, bar boys and sex tourism. - Chiang Mai, Thailand - It's a Quieter Boys' Night Out. - Condom cabaret in Bangkok: Gays in Thailand are finding humorous - and sexy ways of preventing AIDS. - Thai AIDS Activists Win Round Against Bristol-Myers Squibb. -  Male Sex Workers Face HIV Risks, but Get Less Attention. - Homosexuality is not a disease, says Thai government. - Bangkok gay activists defend city's gay destination reputation. - Bangkok’s MSM HIV Explosion – Precursor for Asia’s Mega-cities? Part 1, Part 2.

Thai Buddhist accounts of male homosexuality and AIDS in the 1980s (Thai Sexuality in the Age of AIDS: Essays in Memory of Robert Ariss) -  by Peter Anthony Jackson. - The Persistence of Gender: From Ancient Indian Pandakas to Modern Thai Gay-Quings - by Peter A. Jackson. - Performative Genders, Perverse Desires: A Bio-History of Thailand's Same-Sex and Transgender Cultures. - Gay vs. ‘Kathoey’: Homosexual Identities in Thailand: PDF Download. - Thesis Abstract: "The Theme of Homosexuality in Thai Novels, 1973-1982" by Pinijvararak.

Gays No Longer 'Sick' In Thailand. - Homophobia in Thailand. - Sex Issues in Thailand: ""While in general Thailand has one of the world's more liberal sexual cultures in terms of public tolerance of homosexual and transgender men and women, pockets of intense homophobia do exist. In conducting research on homosexuality in Thailand over the past decade, Dr. Peter Jackson found that Thai academia and areas of the public sector support rabidly anti-gay, anti-lesbian and anti-kathoey (transvestite / transsexual) attitudes and practices that are often out of step with the more tolerant attitudes of the general population.....While an overgeneralisation, homosexual people in most situations are free to lead private lives as gay men and lesbians without interference, provided they do not come out. However, when someone openly identifies as being gay or lesbian, then intense indirect pressures can be applied from bosses, colleagues, friends and family to make life very difficult or even intolerable." (From a web-site article by Dr Peter Jackson in connection with The Rajabhat Institutes decision (now rescinded - see below under Employment) to bar homosexual students from enrolling in teachers colleges). - Spurning Alphonso Lingis' Thai 'Lust': The Perils of a Philosopher at Large.

Sex: younger and more often:  High rates of HIV infection (between six and twenty-seven percent) were also revealed, both among soldiers who had had sex with men and among male sex workers in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, this information did not catalyse widespread information campaigns for men who have sex with men in the region – or anywhere else in Thailand - and even today little information on HIV/AIDS is targeted at gay men... But not only army recruits had experience. A 1999 survey of over 1,700 students between the ages of 15 and 21 in Chiang Rai showed that nine percent of the young men and eleven percent of the young women identified themselves as homo- or bisexual. It also confirmed that homo- / bisexual youths tended to have had more partners than their heterosexual counterparts - partners who were mostly of a similar age to themselves. Furthermore, there appeared to be much less pressure on them to "perform" with women than with the previous generation, for whom a girlfriend or a visit to a brothel was almost an imperative rite of passage. These figures suggest that young men are becoming sexually active earlier. Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence suggests other change. Thirty years ago in Chiang Mai, a friend tells me, young heterosexual men went to public parks to have sex with men because their girlfriends were virgins and they could not afford to pay a woman. Today, at least one in every two Thai girls under twenty has sexual experience, which would suggest that fewer young heterosexual men would seek sex with men. Nevertheless some still head for the parks, not from physical need but to make money for such "necessities" as a mobile phone or to pay off gambling debts. The Chiang Rai survey also reveals that one in four homo- / bisexual youths had been subject at least once to sexual coercion - and of these almost forty percent had been raped...

A 1999 Issue of The Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services dedicated to homosexuality issues in Thailand. (Commentary): Abstracts for "Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys: Male and Female Homosexualities in Contemporary Thailand": A Panoply of Roles: Sexual and Gender Diversity in Contemporary Thailand. - Same-Sex Sexual Experience in Thailand. - HIV/AIDS Projects with and for Gay Men in Northern Thailand. - Increasingly Gay Self-Representations of Male-Male Sexual Experiences in Thailand. - Masculinity and Tom Identity in Thailand. - Transformations of Transgender: The Case of the Thai Kathoey. - Rehearsing Gender and Sexuality in Modern Thailand: Masculinity and Male-Male Sex Behaviours. - The Friends Thou Hast: Support Systems for Male Commercial Sex Workers in Pattaya, Thailand. - Between Money, Morality and Masculinity: Bar-Based Male Sex Work in Chiang Mai. Also published in book form:   Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys: Male and Female Homosexualities in Contemporary Thailand edited by Peter A. Jackson and Gerard Sullivan. (Review) (Abstract). .

Transgenderism in the Thai Buddhist Tradition. - Why are there so many kathoey in Thailand? by Sam Winter. -  Transgenderism and northern Thai spirit mediumship. - Male, Female and Transgender : Stereotypes and Self in Thailand. - Phuket Plastic Surgery Center, Thailand: Articles.  - Transsexual, Law and Medicine in Thailand by Sanguan Kunaporn (Journal of Asian Sexology). - The Lovely Ladies of Doctor Sanguan: "Nestled in the tropical forest of Phuket is one of Thailand's best kept secrets-an international hospital which turns men into lovely women." - Jirayut Roddon won the man of her dreams by changing gender: Thai transsexuals are pushing the boundaries of acceptance and are finding success, happiness and love.

Transgender in Thailand web site N/A. (Archive Link) (Site Contents N/A) (Archive Link) - Transgender in Thailand: Links. - Matzner, A. (undated) In the beginning: northern Thai creation mythology. - The Politics of Re-Presentation: An Analysis of Western Academic Treatments of Male Transgenderism in Thailand. - In Legal Limbo: Thailand, Transgendered Men, and the Law. - Peter A Jackson: History of the Thai Sex/Gender System. - The Persistence of Gender: From Ancient Indian Pandakas to Modern Thai Gay-Quings. - Her Own Woman. - Masculinity and Tom Identity in Thailand. - Heterogeneity in Transgender: A Cluster Analysis of a Thai Sample.

Nong Toom: Kathoey Kickboxer: "The idea of a "lady boy" beating the crap out of some bruiser appealed to the general public's appetite for incongruity, and Nong Tum quickly became a hot media item. Unlike the katoey volleyball players who had been denied spots on the national team because government officials feared what the rest of the world would think, Nong Tum appeared to be embraced by the Muay Thai establishment." - Cross-Dressing Kickboxer Is a Big Hit in Thailand. - Thailand to turn out transsexual boxer film. - Thai film strikes blow for 'lady-boys'. - Katoeys - "Lady Boys": A Big Difference Between a Transsexual and a Transvestite. - Thai "Ladyboy" Kickboxer Is Gender-Bending Knockout. - Man enough to be a woman: a Thai transgender kickboxer is at the center of an amazing true story that's now a movie. - Kathoey. - Thailand's "Women of the Second Kind".

"Bodies, Choices, Rights": A Look at the Thai Lesbian Movement. (Alternate Link) - Into the Light: The Thai Lesbian Movement Takes a Step Forward. - Thailand Intimacy & Healthy (Adult) Sexuality Research Report. - Spurning Alphonso Lingis' Thai 'Lust':  The Perils of a Philosopher at Large. - An explosion of Thai identities: global queering and re-imagining queer theory. - Adaptation of Venue-Day-Time Sampling in Southeast Asia to Access Men Who Have Sex with Men for HIV Assessment in Bangkok.

Building Kathoei and Gay Communities Rights Movement in Thailand (Prempreeda Pramoj Na Ayutthaya, Independent Scholar) (Abstract, Must Scroll: PDF Download. Full text): "In Thailand men who have sex with men (MSM) can be divided into two groups on the basis of identity, kathoei (male-to-female transgenders and transsexuals) and gay. In recent years many sectors have begun to support MSM in various creative activities. However, these activities are not varied or spread over the complete way of life of Thai MSM. For the example, activities with a health focus emphasizing HIV/AIDS prevention and the distribution of free condoms may reproduce negative stereotypes that MSM are sexually promiscuous people who spread dangerous diseases. Too much focus on this health activity (which is still important) may obscure other equally important issues, such as how to improve society’s understanding of kathoei and gay, the human rights of kathoei and gay, and the potential of MSM to provide benefits to Thai society. This raises the question: in Thailand what issue can motivate kathoei and gay to join together in useful activities to achieve the above goals? Today, kathoei and gay groups still do not join together in a united way. The issue of human rights and dignity is an issue that all MSM share in common. In this paper I will explore whether the promotion of their common rights and human dignity can become the basis for joint activism between Thai kathoei and gay groups."

Ambivalent Attitudes to Thailand’s Kathoey (Richard Totman, Independent Scholar) (Abstract, Must Scroll: PDF Download. Full text): "Fag hags, women who associate with gay men and participate in gay cultural activities, have been part of Western and Filipino queer culture for some time. This paper discusses three research investigations that examine the fag hag phenomenon in the Philippines using various approaches. In one study using interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires, we explored the general development and dynamics of friendships between straight women and gay men. Another study utilized focus group methodology to examine the components that comprise the Filipino fag hag social identity. Finally, from the perspective of personality psychology, we constructed a profile of the traits that are shared by haggy women and that set them apart from other women. Based on the findings of these studies, we developed a tentative conceptual model which suggests that women with certain personality characteristics form a reciprocal attraction with gay men. This leads them to develop close friendships with gay men and in turn fashion a fag hag identity within Filipino queer culture. On-going work and further directions for our fag hag research program are also discussed, including experimental tests of our fag/hag reciprocal attraction model, a stereotype content study to compare cognitive representations of haggy women and of gay men, and other investigations of fag hag experiences in the context of Filipino and possibly other Asian queer cultures."

A problem of image: Life in Thailand's twilight zone: Mention the word katoey and Thais immediately think of the slightly soiled image of the feminine end of the gay spectrum - the man dolled up as woman, the limp wrist and exaggerated postures of the lady-boy. But as Thai gays seek a higher level of social acceptance, so the country's transvestites and transsexuals are trying to cast off their image as the unacceptable face of homosexuality... Still, all is not well in the sexual twilight zone. Trapped in the wrong gender, sometimes desperate to make the change from male to female, katoey are often prone to depression, anger and rash behavior. A minority turn to prostitution, others to crime. According to Peter Jackson, author of Dear Uncle Go: Male Homosexuality in Thailand, a large percentage of Thai transsexuals kill themselves."

Will Any Thai Guy Have Sex with Another Guy? - "Now, on to your inquiry. Believe it or not, the question of whether Thai men, regardless of sexual orientation, engage in sex with other men more frequently than other populations has been raised for many years. Many Thai gay men, in fact, believe that even straight Thai men will have sex with another man, given the right circumstances. Gay men, whether foreign or Thai, are astonished that ostensibly heterosexual men working as freelance sex workers or as hosts in Thailand's gay bars can not only perform sexually but do so with breathtaking abandon." - More family men paying for gay sex: Thai study. - Prostitution in Thailand. - Age and Attraction. - “Love”: The Price of Education & Age Differences. - Nasty Gays & Finding a Boyfriend. (Uncle E Article Index).

Research in Progress:  A Night Out with the Boys: The discursive and sexual practices surrounding bar-based male sex work in Bangkok, Thailand.- Performing Sexual Identity: Naming and Resisting 'Gayness' in Modern Thailand. - An American Death in Bangkok: The Murder of Darrell Berrigan and the Hybrid Origins of Gay Identity in 1960s Thailand N/A - by Peter A. Jackson: "Before the 1960s male homoerotic relations in Thailand were structured within discourses that ascribed masculine [phu-chai] and feminine/effeminate [kathoey] gender positions to same-sex partners. This gendered pattern was reinforced by a number of related oppositions, such as senior-junior and inserter-insertee, that established a power hierarchy between a masculine, senior "man" and his feminized, junior kathoey partner. Notions of class and social status were also important in marking the kathoey-"man" distinction; kathoey were commonly thought of as low-class social riffraff. In contrast, gay marked the emergence of a more prestigious form of male homoeroticism in which both partners assumed a masculine gender identity and to some extent participated in the higher status accorded the Thai "man." - GLBTQ: Bangkok.

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Thailand: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - Sexuality in Thailand: See HIV/AIDS. - Lost In Paradise: In Asia’s bleak HIV landscape, Thailand has long stood out as a prevention miracle. So why are Thai men who have sex with men on the verge of an AIDS catastrophe? - Traditions in Transition: Young People’s Risk for HIV in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

The Ultimate "Planet Out" Guide to Queer Movies (Country: Thailand). - Sporty Little Number: (Alternate Link) Thai audiences are lapping up a controversial movie that deals with gay and transsexual issues: "A box-office smash, Satree Lex, chronicles the country's gender-bending 1996 volleyball champion... the lead characters include a lesbian and five katoey - a Thai term that covers transsexuals, transvestites and effeminate gay men." - The Iron Ladies. - Heroes in high heels. - Ladyboys, Drag Queens, and Gay Men on the Thai Silver Screen. - Petition protests negative depiction of homosexuality on s’pore TV.

Cinema and Homosexual Identity in Thailand: Discourses and Politics of Homosexuality (Tertsak Romjumpa, Independent Scholar) (Abstract, Must Scroll: PDF Download. Full text): "Movies provide good reflections of local understandings of male homosexuality in Thailand. This is especially the case for movies made by male homosexual directors, who have grown up in the context of the construction of knowledge about male homosexuality in Thailand. In 1987 the movie Chan Phu-Chai Na Ya (I’m a man) was very popular and highly successful. This movie was a Thai adaptation of Mart Crowley’s Boys in the Band by Dr.Seri Wongmontaa, the most famous male homosexual in Thailand at that time. In 2003 the gay/kathoey cheerleader comedy Wai Boom, Cheer Kraheum Lok (Boom! The cheer that shook the world) by gay director Potch Arnonda cast famous stars. These two movies represent the changing self-understanding of Thai male homosexuals in the different decades in which they were made. In this paper I argue that the homosexual themes of these movies reflect the embedded knowledge of male homosexuality in Thai society that has been produced by three key institutions: Buddhist religion, the medical profession and academic research. The discourses of these three domains represent homosexuality as sinful, mental perversion and deviant behaviour, respectively. These discourses do not merely represent dominant explanations of the causes homosexuality. They have also been fundamental to the development of homosexual politics in Thailand."

First International Conference of Asian Queer Studies (2005): Papers available for download. - The 2005 Conference Abstracts: Many of these possible papers were either not presented or not made avaible as full text papers (PDF Download) (Alternate Link). - Titles for abstracts of these paper: related to Thailand:  - MSM Positive Prevention: Role of Males Who Have Sex With Males Living with HIV/AIDS in HIV Prevention (Robert Baldwin, Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, Bangkok). - Public Perceptions of Tom and Dee in Thailand (Nerida Cook, University of Tasmania). - Thailand’s Gay Male Sexual Cultures and the Problem of Visual Representation (Brian Curtin, Raffles LaSalle International Design School). - Building Kathoei and Gay Communities Rights Movement in Thailand (Prempreeda Pramoj Na Ayutthaya, Independent Scholar). - Cinema and Homosexual Identity in Thailand: Discourses and Politics of Homosexuality (Tertsak Romjumpa, Independent Scholar). - Ambivalent Attitudes to Thailand’s Kathoey (Richard Totman, Independent Scholar). - Provincializing Queer: Thai Sexuality in an Asian Context (Ara Wilson, Ohio State University).

Resource Links: - Pink Ink: Thailand's first free monthly gay and lesbian newspaper. - ThaiGuys.com. - In the News. - Utopia's Thailand Resources. - Dragoncastle's Gay Asia - Gay Thailand's Leading Website. - Dreaded Ned's Explore Gay thailand. - Utopia's Thai Lesbian Resources. - Thailand Gay Scene. - GayThailand.com.

Gayscape - Pridelinks. - Google Links.

Gay Bangkok 2001 - Gay Bangkok 1999 (Global Gayz): - News/Reports 1999-2007. - ILGA Report. 

Books on Gay Thailand. - Gay Thailand Bookshelf.

Dear Uncle Go: Male Homosexuality in Thailand - 1995 - by Peter A. Jackson (Review).(Review) (Amazon) (Excerpts). - The Men of Thailand (6th Edition): Thailand's Culture & Gay Subculture by Eric G. Allyn. (How to tell if a barboy is straight or gay)- Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys: Male and Female Homosexualities in Contemporary Thailand edited by Peter A. Jackson and Gerard Sullivan. (Review) (Amazon) . - Genders and Sexualities in Modern Thailand - 1999- by Peter A. Jackson and Nerida M. Cook (eds). (Review) (Review) . - Intersections - Home Page. - Thai Scene (Gay Guide) - 1995 - by Michael Notcutt. - Thai Scene 1998 - by Damon Hammer. - Gold by the Inch - 1998 - by Lawrence Chua (A Novel). - Dove Coos II: Gay Experience by the Men of Thailand - 1993  edited by Eric G. Allyn. - Intrinsic Quality of Skin - 1994 - by Peter A. Jackson (Interview with author). - Male Bodies, Women's Souls: Personal Narratives of Thailand's Transgendered Youth - 2007 - edited by LeeRay Costa & Andrew Matzner (Review) (Publisher Information). - The Third Sex: Kathoey: Thailand's Ladyboys - 2004 - by Richard Totman (Review) (Review). - Sexual Culture Among Young Migrant Muslims In Bangkok - 2007 - by Amporn Marddent (Amazon). 

CAMBODIA - Cambodian king supports gay marriages. - Cambodia's King Says Gays Should be Allowed to Marry. - San Francisco Inspiration To World: Cambodia May Soon Have Same-Sex Marriages. - Cambodia's Royalist Party Woos Transgender Voters.  - Cambodge: le Roi est pour les unions homos. - Report from Cambodia. - The Remaking of a Cambodian-American Drag Queen: PDF Download.

By the Ruins, a New Night Scene: (Alternate Link) Anchoring the top end of the alley, airy Linga Bar (855-12) 246 912, www.lingabar.com , is the town's first gay-friendly lounge-style bar. Opened last November by a hotel manager, it's now frequented by as many straights as gays...  Lingas and temples, bananas and cocktails - Gay Cambodia comes out (Alternate Link): Although it is an open secret that Cambodia's king is a PLU (People Like Us) nobody talks publicly about the sexual orientation of king, who was before his coronation in 2004 in Phnom Penh a ballet dancer in Paris. Homosexuality is still a taboo in Cambodia. "They have no clue about homosexuality, thus they are not really biased towards gays", Ky says about his fellow Cambodians. "The attitude towards sexuality, though, is as relaxed as it is in Thailand." Only last October Sokha and his Thai boyfriend Oak have opened in the vicinity of the Royal Palace Phnom Penh's second gay bar "Blue Chilli" which is distinctly a hang out for local gay Khmer. Until then the trendy "Salt Lounge" at Sisowath Quay was the first and only gay bar, though not the only gay business in town. The hotel "Manor House" is gay owned and managed and so is stylish wellness spa and beauty paradise "OSPA"... 

Borsobor at the Golden Banana: Yes, men had sex with men in Cambodia, but there were two kinds of such men: short hair and long hair. otherwise known as srey sros (“pretty girls”) and pros saat (“handsome men”). Pretty girls with their long hair and feminine mannerisms can’t hide in Khmer society, while short haired handsome men can pretend that they really love women. That much was agreed on – eventually – but other problems arose. Are short hairs really men who haven’t grown their hair long, as one informant suggested? Does “handsome men” refer to all men, or only the men who have sex with men, or only the men who have sex with men and are willing to admit it? And what’s this division between MSM (men who have sex with men – an acronym I have long disliked: read here) and “real men”, who also have sex with men? To try and cut through the confusion, I’d arranged to meet Chart. P…  Cambodia’s gay activist, the evening before coming to Siem Reap. Chart, a short, intense, energetic designer who has spent half his life in the US, surely had both the Western and Khmer perspective to explain the situation to me. So sitting in the Black Eagle, Phnom Penh’s (and Cambodia’s) only exclusively gay bar, half-watching the part time rent boys play pool, I listened to Chart’s explanation of terms. Listened, and had my suspicions confirmed. There is uncertainty over terms, because not only are terms new, but so is the concept. The idea of men having sex is new in Cambodian society. The closest Khmer can get to the idea is kteuy, a term close in meaning to transgender. Only kteuy is more of an insult than a statement or a compliment and those who would once be called kteuy now prefer the term pretty girl... So now we have a Khmer word for MSM, Sophat said. No! I said, you don't. There's a difference. Borsorbor are men who want to have sex with them. But lots of MSM only have sex with men for money, or because there are no women around...

Men Who Have Sex Sex with Men in Cambodia: HIV/AIDS V Vulnerability ulnerability ulnerability, Stigma, and Discrimination (PDF Download): "The report also uses the distinction often made in Cambodia between “MSM short hair” and “MSM long hair,” with the understanding that the former are men who present and identify as men with normative masculine gender characteristics, and the latter are men who present with more feminine characteristics and whose identity may sometimes correspond to the category of “transgender” used in some other cultures. The reason for this report’s use of the distinction between “MSM short hair” and “MSM long hair” is that focus group participants frequently used the distinction, which to some extent also informs the structure of programs targeting MSM and HIV/AIDS in Cambodia. However, the distinction should not be considered an immutable or, obviously, exhaustive categorization system... In Cambodia, the reasons and motivations for sex between men are several. Although they may prefer sex with another man to sex with a woman, some homosexual Cambodian men stop engaging in sex with other men after they marry. Some young unmarried Cambodian men have sex with other men simply out of the desire to have sex and because cultural norms concerning gender make it easier to find a male rather than a female sexual partner. Some men have sex with other men as a way of earning money..." 

Survey: Low Rate of Condom Use for Gay men (2002): "One of the first reports on homosexuality in Cambodia has revealed an alarming contradiction between the theory and practice of safe sex, in a group at high risk of infection form HIV/AIDS: Although the majority of gay men understand the risks of unprotected sex, very few are choosing to use condoms. The study, conducted the Khmer HIV/AIDS Alliance, or Khana, interviewed 370 men who have sex with men, or MSM, in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang in late September. The report is only the second to be conducted n the subject, and fills what health workers have described as a gaping statistical hole in their understanding of homosexual activity... Because most Cambodian homosexually choose to keep their sexual orientation secret and are often married, bisexual activity among the men surveyed was found to be very common: 40 percent said they had sex with both men and omen in the pas month. This is another cause for concern for health workers, as it means risky sexual behavior in the gay community has the potential to fuel a far broader HIV/AIDS epidemic. Overall, the report paints a picture of a sexual scene in which no easy boundaries or categories can be drawn." - HIV, STIs, and sexual behaviors among men who have sex with men in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Focus on MSM and the spread of HIV/AIDS: (Alternate Link) As dusk falls along the banks of the Tonle Sap River, opposite the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, Noun, 35, a married engineer, stops at his favourite vantage point on his route home each evening, a popular cruising site for Cambodian gays, where last month alone he met seven different partners. Noun's world is a complex one, riddled with deception and hypocrisy in this otherwise conservative Khmer society. "I'm not gay," he said. "I just like having sex with men." ... Penetrating Noun's world, and others like it, could be the most difficult challenge, but failing to do so could accelerate the spread of the pandemic among the country's 14.5 million people... Prevalence in the general population has also declined in recent years, but health workers warn there is little room for complacency. According to the latest survey by the Cambodian National Centre for HIV/AIDS Dermatology and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), the HIV prevalence rate among MSM in Phnom Penh is 8.7 percent, and their networking behaviour has become a serious source of concern. Of the 58 percent of men surveyed in three provinces - Phnom Penh, in the south, and Batdambang and Siem Riep in the northwest - who reported having sex with female partners in the past year, almost 25 percent also reported having sex with female sex workers, with 16.6 percent having had sex with casual female partners in the past month...

Gay Cambodia (Global Gayz): - News/Reports 2004-07. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Lesbian and gay Cambodia. 
 .

LAOS / LAO PDR - A Side-Trip to Laos. : Despite the fact that there are no specifically gay establishments in Laos, finding gay Laotian boys, who are interested in "farang," is easy to do, and you will likely be approached... There are no gay establishments at all in Laos.  I asked my Laotian friend where foreigners can go to find other gay people.  He told me that you might be approached on the streets, and there are a few discos in town where you are likely to meet a "new friend." ... - Laid Back Laos.

Laos: Keeping the lid on HIV: Xay Boulommavong, peer education supervisor at the Peuan Mai or New Friend Centre, the only facility of its kind dedicated to supporting members of the MSM community, warned that young people, including gay men, were not only having more sex, but more partners as well. "There is a lot more freedom in terms of sexual behaviour in Laos than before," Boulommavong said. "Nowadays, everyone has a mobile phone and motorbike, meaning everyone seems to have a network of people they can tap into, any time, any place, for sex." MSM is a particularly high-risk group in need of further awareness, with condom usage perhaps even lower than among the general population. "Some MSM have limited understanding of HIV, and feel that if they are having sex with a man they aren't at risk of becoming infected. That's problematic, and that's why we are here," said the activist.

Men who have sex with men are not all MSM: Lao PDR has the lowest HIV/AIDS incidence in the region (0.05%), but infections are rising. Lack of information about ‘men who have sex with men’ (MSM) in Laos constitutes a challenge to HIV/AIDS programmers... This paper maps categories of MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) in Laos, analyses their vulnerability to HIV infection and recommends interventions based on several recent studies conducted by the author... Laos has three groups of MSM: a visible transgender (TG) population, a discrete gay community and a larger, less visible bisexual population. Overall, tolerance is high but the fact that many bisexual men are married indicates pressure to conform in a traditional society. Sexual relations exist between different categories of MSM and with "hetrosexual" men. For example TG sometimes pay for sex with young Lao men who see the TG as a female and consider themselves heterosexual...

Assessment of sexual health needs of males who have sex with males in Laos and Thailand: (PDF Download) There is no information is available in regard to STI/HIV prevalence among ‘MSM’. A PSI Lao PDR qualitative report (2004) of the sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDS risk among “transgender men and their partners” in Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Savannakhet, stated that “no reported cases through homosexual transmission” had been documented among the “over 1,100 people reported to have HIV/AIDS.” This report goes on to say that “the incidence of HIV among this group (emphasis mine – do partners of “transgender men” form a group?) is thought to be increasing in the region,” adding “many MSM have [unprotected] penetrative anal sex. Here transgender means kathoey-identified males. What the current state of knowledge indicate, is that the sexual frameworks of male-to-male sex in Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, and Vientiane, are complex and diverse, with differing sexualities, masculinities and gender frameworks, where desire, poverty and alcohol appear to be significant drivers of sexual encounters, and where increasing tourism, external communications, and media, are also bringing in an emergent gay framework. Further, anal sex is common, regular condom use varies considerably, and multiple partners, both male and female is not uncommon. In the literature review conducted as a part of this Assessment it was pointed out that the categorisation of a behaviour as ‘men who have sex with other men” and as a “target group,” is problematic, where such diversity and complexity exists. Further, while kathoey-identified males, along with gay-identified men, may well be visible in a range of settings, sexual partners of kathoeys and male sex workers may well merge into the general male population... It is essential that more knowledge is required regarding male-to-male sexual behaviours and practices in Lao, along with the contexts and dynamics of such behaviours. Further specific epidemiological data is also needed. Burnett Institute, along with perhaps the independent researcher, Serge Doussantousse, (who has access to a range of kathoeys in all the target cities), should be supported to conduct appropriate epidemiological, behavioural and sociological studies amongst MSM to gain more effective knowledge and evidence, and to develop an understanding of the dynamics of male-to-male across with all its complexity and diversity in Lao PDR...

Rice Paper Issue # 9: Page 11: Interview With Sunshine: PDF Download. "To know Khamphan is to know his history. Our interview began with a discussion regarding his sexuality and what life was like to be gay in Laos. Born the sixth child in a line of nine children (five brothers and three sisters), Khamphan has always been secure of the love his parents had for all of their children. "Coming out to my parents was never an issue", he stated. "My parents knew since I was very young that I was gay. I used to dress and act like a girl and they treated me that way. My parents used to let me wear girls' clothes and make-up." His family's reaction is considered the contradiction of most other Asian nations? philosophies toward homosexuality. In countries like China and Vietnam, a homosexual child is considered a disgrace and a disappointment for one?s family, not to mention the social stigma. Paradoxically, Khamphan describes homosexuality in Laos as having the same openness and tolerance commonly found in Thailand. Not only did his parents cater to his feminine side, he states that their explanation was: "God made you this way. You were born this way and we, as parents, will accept you this way." Furthermore, his brothers and sisters are also supportive and his homosexuality has never caused issue or conflict within the family..."

Gay Laos. - Utopia Resources. - Gayscape.- Laos: Gay & Lesbian Travelers.

Gay Laos (Global Gayz). - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden.

Books: -  A Thousand Wings - 1998 - by T. C. Huo (A Novel).
 

MYANMAR / BURMA - All Burma Students' Democratic Front Repeals Law Criminalizing Homosexual Acts. - Lexical categories of homosexual behaviour in modern Burmese. - Male cross-gender behavior in Myanmar (Burma): a description of the acault. - Western feminisms through Asian eyes: reading English-speaking feminisms from the perspective of the 'other': "In Burma, homosexuality is illegal but men have sex with acault who cross-dress as women under the patronage of an animistic spirit.  The Burmese are 'perplexed' at the idea of acault having sex with one another (Califia 1997:147)." - Burma's leaders slowly moving to combat HIV.

Differently Gendered People - a little history: "In Burma, a similar phenomenon exists in which male-to-female transgender people are believed to be possessed by a spirit of the opposite sex. They have a function at the temples and participate in (semi)-religious ceremonies." - The Third I: "And did you know Harrison, that transsexualism, is global in scope, and can be found in virtually all countries, cultures, and through out history. They are called the Acault in Burma, the Xanith in Oman, the Hijera in India, the Berdache among the American Indians from Alaska to South America, the Mahu amongst the Polynesians, the Sarombavy of Madagascar, and they are found amongst the aboriginal  of Siberia and Africa."

Unlikely Marriage?: "The great hill, as it is known, is also a sanctuary for many of the country’s homosexual men... Myint Thein Oo has been a nat kadaw for 17 years. He makes a living from this tiny shrine on Mount Popa where he helps worshippers make offerings. He says he decided to marry a nat after discovering he might be gay. U Myint Thein Oo, a gay nat kadaw says: ” I was born a boy. But when I was about six or seven , I started to feel like I wanted to be a girl or a woman. So my parents asked one of the nats to be my guardian. Later, the nat possessed me and I became more and more feminine.” ... That feminine side is best seen at nat festivals… musical performances involving elaborate make-up, flamboyant costumes and theatrical dance moves... These performances, which can take place as often as six times a month, are staged in hopes of luring the nats to earth. Ordinary people can then receive their blessings and gay nat kadaws can indulge their richest fantasies. Dr. Khin Maung Nyunt says: ”It’s a good excuse for them to cover what they are. They like dancing. They like to behave like women. They like to dance. So the only chance to do is to become like Nat Kadaw. You can dance. There’s a freedom. So for a person who is gay but does not want to admit he is gay, he can just say… He’s a Nat! It possesses him and turn him that way. Yes, that is true.” ... Thein Zaw is also a gay nat kadaw. He says in the last 10 years more men have taken up the profession. Although homosexuality is not forbidden in Myanmar, Thein Zaw says gay men are better tolerated when they are nat kadaws. Marriage to a nat, it seems, can make an honest woman out of a man. Thein Zaw, a gay nat kadaw says: ” The reason why I chose this profession to feel more freedom as a gay person. As a Nat Gadaw I am not looked down by society nor am I an outcast. I also like dancing and I can earn enough money to support my family.”

TREAT Asia Report - Young Activists Reflect on Identity, Community, and Diversity Among Asia's MSM: Reporting by Addy Chen (Myanmar):   It is complicated. Jack, how do you identify yourself? You would be considered a Long Hair MSM, right?...  That's why in Myanmar we end up having six categories of MSM, and with all these groups we need different outreach and education approaches...  I don't know about in other countries, but in Myanmar the gender imbalance within the gay community is still very high. For example, in most MSM couples, the breadwinner is the Long Hair. Long Hairs have to treat their husbands like princes or kings, they have to buy everything, and they may even put up with being hit by their husbands... In Myanmar, in the general population as well as among MSM, people don’t know much about STIs [sexually transmitted infections], much less HIV. People working on AIDS who are not MSM don’t know about the diversity of MSM communities or much about their sexuality—they don’t understand how vulnerable MSM are to AIDS and how high their risk is. Among MSM themselves, awareness about health issues is still very low. MSM who are more educated and informed often don’t want to disclose their status because they will face stigma and discrimination, so there are very few educated people who can lead the community. Also because of the situation here in Myanmar, we cannot form MSM-specific self-help groups... Doing peer outreach, it’s best to work through informal MSM groups or networks that already exist. A lot of the beauticians in Myanmar are MSM, and some are transgender. They have a group of young MSM followers and they have a big influence on them... Another way we can reach MSM is through certain transgenders called Nat-Gadaw who act as interpreters of the spirit... There are also drop-in centers for MSM, which provide voluntary counseling, treatment for STIs, and testing. At the moment in Yangon, we have two MSM drop-in centers. There they have monthly gatherings of around 400 people... What has also happened is that a lot of male sex workers who don’t identify as either MSM or gay have come to these gatherings. At first they might have been looking for clients or whatever, but they got services also and they enjoyed it. And so now they come and bring some of their friends who don’t identify themselves as MSM but who have sex with men. So it has been snowballing...

Voices: Taking a Stand in Myanmar... Addy Chen... After I took it, the airline managers called me in and told me that they had checked my test results twice and they showed that I was HIV positive... When I found out I was positive, I was really afraid, but I am an MSM and some of my friends knew a lot about HIV. Some were really supportive of me and helped me find a way to face the disease. At first I didn’t tell my family, but they found out when I really got sick. Eventually they accepted it and they have been supportive emotionally. So I’m kind of lucky... The Myanmar country representative for the International HIV Alliance also approached me and I started working with them as an MSM prevention consultant. Now we have the network for PLWA established and we’re starting to build our capacity to understand how anti-HIV drugs work, what is happening in the region, and how we can get access to treatment. The Global Fund pullout is the worst, worst thing for PLWAs in Myanmar. The current situation here is that there are 45,000 needing ARVs right now and only 2,000 have access to them...

Review of the socio-cultural research on HIV/AIDS in the greater Mekong subregion (PDF Download): The socio-cultural context of men having sex with men is investigated in two studies in Myanmar, with the research taking place during local traditional festivals. These studies show that men having sex with men is considered “normal” in these festivals and takes on a ritualistic aspect, as for example in the Nat festival (Kyaw et al 2004) where MSM play the role of intermediaries between supernatural and human beings. The second study documents significant risk behavior during the Taunbuyon festival, including many drunken boys having sex with the one male sex worker (Wrigley 1997),.

In Myanmar, novelist wins praise for tale of gays, ghosts: (Alternate Link) Except for the books lining sets of old shelves, there are few luxuries in the home of Nu Nu Yi, an author from Myanmar who has earned international attention for her novel about a gay spirit medium. Like many writers in this military-ruled nation, the 50-year-old says she has struggled to carry on with her work without compromising her principles in the face of notoriously strict censors... She is one of only a handful of writers who dares to paint accurate portraits of life in this country, ruled by the military since 1962, but says that is the only way to fulfil her responsibilities to herself and her readers... Myanmar's military censors maintain complete control over everything that is published or broadcast within the country formerly known as Burma... The novel focuses on a 53-year-old gay medium who falls in love with a 23-year-old man brought to be his apprentice. The longing leads to heartbreak as the younger man tries to run off with a woman during the festival. Gay men are often sought out as fortune tellers or intermediaries to the spirit world, as they are seen to have the ability to channel the nats. Nu Nu Yi says she spent three years learning about their lives... Homosexuality is illegal here, and the military is somewhat embarrassed by widespread belief in the nats, which they dismiss as pure superstition... "When my novel came out, I was not fully satisfied as an author" because of the edits, she admits... Even some gay spirit mediums also took issue with her novel, which they felt revealed too many details about their normally secretive world...  - A Burmese novel about Gay Nat-Ga-Daws short listed for Man Asian Literature Award.

Joint Programme for HIV/AIDS: Myanmar 2003-2005 - Mid-term Review (PDF Download): A substantial amount of sexual transmission of HIV is also taking place amongst men who have sex with men (MSM)... STI services specifically designed for Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) are rare. Anecdotal evidence suggests that HIV levels are high in this population. MSM have not been prioritised within the Joint Programme. This needs rapid revision, for reaching them effectively will be critical to a successful response... No data on the percentage of MSM who accessed VCCT in 2004 was available from UNAIDS Myanmar or the central AIDS counselling centre in Yangon. None of the 522 male attendees at the Mandalay VCCT centre reported having sex with men. Some preliminary findings of an unpublished survey suggest that overall 2 to 3% of adult males acknowledge ever having had sex with other men...

Prison experience in Burma: "Homosexual activities Homosexuality is also popular in the Insein prison. Young and handsome men were most susceptible to intimidation and pressure from convicts serving long term imprisonment. This is another issue which the authorities prefer to ignore."

Utopia. - StickyRice.

Gay Burma (Global Gayz). - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Sodomy Laws: Burma. 

Search Engines & Directories: - Google.com. - Google Scholar. - MSN Search.- Proteus Search. - Wikipedia Listing of Search Engines. - All GLBT Resource Directories. - Google's GLBT Directory. - Yahoo's Directory. - DMOZ: Open Directory. - BGLAD. - Wikipedia. - GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture.

Directories for Open Access Resources: - The Directory of  Open-Access Journals. - Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR). - Yahoo Theses Access Directory. - Google Directory: Free Access Online Archives.

Open Access Collections From Multiple Sources: - Australian Research Online. - hal: articles en ligne (French / English Version). - Archive Ouverte INRIA. - Hispana. Directorio y recolector de recursos digitales. - Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina y el Caribe, España y Portugal.  - Pacific Rim Library. - OAIster: a union catalog of available digital resources. - OpenPDF.com. - OpenJ-Gate: Open Access. -  findarticles.com: many free full text articles and papers. - Scribd.com. 

Search for Free Papers / Book Reviews: - All Papers are free at BioMed Cental (Open Access) & PubMed Central. - HighWire Press (Numerous Free Papers).  eScholarship Repository:  University of California, e-books, journals and peer-reviewed documents. - DSpace Eprints: Australian National University. - DSpace@MIT. - Virginia Tech: Digital Library / Archives. - eScholarship: U of California. - University of Southampton CiteBase. - Eprints: University of Nottingham. - T-Space at The University of Toronto Libraries.  - NTUR, National Taiwan University. - Allacademic: Some free papers to either read online or download as PDFs. -  UNESCO: Articles, Report, Dissertations, Films, etc. - Kyoto University Research Information Repository. - Doctoral dissertations and other publications from the University of Helsinki. - E-LIS: eprints in Library & Information Services. - CogPrints: eprints. - RePEc: Research Papers in Economics. - DiVa: Scandinavian University Documents. - The International Gay & Lesbian Review (IGLR): Book Reviews & Abstracts. - InterAlia, a peer-edited scholarly journal for queer theory. 

Search for Free Articles, Papers or Reports:  FindArticles.com - The Free Library. - France Queer Resources Directory. - Séminaire gai. - The QRD. - GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Human Rights Campaign. - IGLHRC: The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. - ILGA: The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. - ILGA-Europe: International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association of Europe. - Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. - Kinsey Institute Staff Publications. - Sexual Policy Watch Working Papers. -  NAZ Foundation International: Primary aim is to improve the sexual health and human rights of marginalised males who have sex with males, their partners and families in South Asia and elsewhere.  The World Health Orgazization. - The Body: The complete HIV/AIDS Resource. - POZ Magazine: Archive dates back to 1994.

Search for Papers, with Abstract Available (Some May Be Free): The National Library of Medicine (Free papera are highlighted). Abstracts from searches are available at: ERIC: The Education Resources Information Center (Many Free Documents). - Informaworld. - Oxford Journals (Some Open Access Content). - Springer Journals (Some Open Access Content). - ScienceDirect Journals. - University of California Press Journals on Caliber. - IngentaConnect. - Project Muse. - JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Wiley Interscience. - Cambridge Journals Online: Follow Link. - Sage Journals. - Palgrave Macmillan Journals. - Emerald E-journals. - University of Chicago Journals. - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Journals. - HeinOnline (Access Free Content, Law Papers). - SSRN: Social Science Research Network.

Search for Free Theses / Dissertations, May Include Papers: Library & Archives Canada, Electronic Free Theses Download. - Virginia Tech: Electronic Theses and Dissertations. - DSpace@MIT. - Electronic Theses & Dissertations BYU. - OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Center & Worldwide ETD Index. - Australasian Digital Theses Program (Abstracts Given & Free Downloads). - Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Abstracts). - PQDTOpen Dissertations (Abstracts & Free Downloads: ProQuest). DART-Europe: Free Access to European Doctoral Theses. - The British Library's EThOS service (British Doctoral Theses Abstracts). - DORAS: Free Theses,  Ireland. - TEL (thèses-en-ligne). - DiVa: Scandinavian Theses / Other Documents. - BORA: Open Archive, University of Bergen, Norway.  - Doctoral dissertations and other publications from the University of Helsinki. - LUP: Lund University Publications. - National Cheng Kung University Institutional Repository. - HKU Scholars Hub. - Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertacoes (BDTD), Brazil. - OAIster: a union catalog of available digital resources. Free papers also available - OpenThesis.org.

Full Text Articles / Papers / Studies / Reports (and/or Abstracts):

Bao VN, Girault P (2005+). Facing the fact Men who have sex with men and HIVAIDS in Vietnam. ENCOURAGES Project – CIHP - Collected working paper. Unpublished.  PDF Download.

Baxter D (2006). Bangkok’s MSM HIV Explosion – Precursor for Asia’s Mega-cities? HIV Australia, 5(2). PDF Download. Also as Part 1, Part 2..

Blackwood E (2000). Culture and Women's Sexualities. Journal of Social Issues, 56(2): 223-238. Full Text.

Doussantousse S, Keovongchith B (2005). Male Sexual Health: Kathoeys in the Lao PDR, South East Asia – Exploring a Gender Minority. Paper presented at The First International Conference of Asian Queer Studies, Bangkok, Thailand, July. PDF Download. Download Page.xx

Graham S (2005). Indonesian Intersections of Bisexuality and Transgender. Paper presented at The First International Conference of Asian Queer Studies, Bangkok, Thailand, July. PDF Download. Download Page.

Haritaworn, Jin  (2008). Shifting Positionalities: Empirical Reflections on a Queer/Trans of Colour Methodology. Sociological Research Online, 13(1). Full Text.

Jackson PA (2003). Performative Genders, Perverse Desires: A Bio-History of Thailand's Same-Sex and Transgender Cultures. Intersections 9. Full Text.

Jackson PA (1999). Spurning Alphonso Lingis' Thai 'Lust': The Perils of a Philosopher at Large. Intersection, 2. Full Text.

Kaewprasert O (2005). The Very First Series of Thai Queer Cinemas: What Was Happening in the 1980s?  Paper presented at The First International Conference of Asian Queer Studies, Bangkok, Thailand, July. PDF Download. Download Page.

Kahn S (2005). Assessment of sexual health needs of males who have sex with males in Laos and Thailand. Naz Foundation International. PDF Download.

KHANA (Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance, 2003). Out of the Shadows: Male to Male Sexual Behaviour in Cambodia. KHANA: Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance. PDF Download.

Liu A, Kilmarx P, Jenkins RA, Manopaiboon C, Mock PA, Jeeyapunt S, Uthaivoravit W, van Griensven F. (2006). Sexual Initiation, Substance Use, and Sexual Behavior and Knowledge Among Vocational Students in Northern Thailand. International Family Planning Perspectives,  32(3): 126-135. Full text.

Morris  RC (1995). All Made Up: Performance Theory and the New Anthropology of Sex and gender. Annual Review of Anthropology, 24: 567-592. PDF Download.

Nguyen QK (2000). HIV/STD Infection [Vietnam]. Full Text.

Nguyen QK (2005). The Bell is Ringing: An Analysis of HIV/AIDS Policy and Programs in Vietnam. Journal of Development and Social Transformation, 2.  PDF Download. Download Page.

Nguyen VT (1995). The Postcolonial State of Desire: Homosexuality and Transvestitism in Ninotchka Rosca's State of War. HCM: A Journal of Asian American Cultural Criticicm. 2(21). Full Text.

O’Loughlin W (2007). Review of the experience of Most-at-Risk-Populations with the current HIV Testing and Counselling Policy and Practice in countries in Asia and the Pacific. Full Text.

Open Society Institute (2006). Sexual Health and Rights: Sex Workers, Transgender People and Men Who Have Sex with Men: Thailand. Open Society Institute - Network Public Health Program. PDF Download.

Otalvaro-Hormillosa G (2000). Performing Citizenship and "Temporal Hybridity" in a Queer Diaspora. Antihtesis, 21. Full Text. Related Information.

Quintiliani K (2002). The Remaking of a Cambodian-American Drag Queen. IIAS Newsletter, 29, November. PDF Download. Download Page.

Reicherzer SL, Patton JL, Steves M (2007). Transgenders, Vestidas, Hijra, Kathoey: Responding to Cultural Cukltural Expressions of Gender Identity. A PowerPoint presentation of the Texas Association of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues in Counseling (TAGLBIC). A Presentation at the American Counseling Association 2007 Annual Convention. PDF Download.

Rennesson S (2005). Transgender Culture and Thai Boxing. Paper presented at The First International Conference of Asian Queer Studies, Bangkok, Thailand, July. PDF Download. Download Page.xx

Sherer B (2006). Gender transformed and meta-gendered enlightenment: Reading Buddhist narratives as paradigms of inclusiveness. Revista de Estudos da Religião, 3: 65-76. Full Text.

Sovannara K, Ward CW (2004). Men Who Have Sex Sex with Men in Cambodia: HIV/AIDS V Vulnerability ulnerability ulnerability, Stigma, and Discrimination. Futures Group International in collaboration with the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) and Research Triangle Institute (RTI). PDF Download.

Storer G (1999). Performing Sexual Identity: Naming and Resisting Gayness in Modern Thailand. Intersections, 2. Full Text. Download Page.

Wieringa SE (2007). The admonishment of vegetarian great aunt: reflections on sexual and gender multiplicity and culture. Inaugural address of the chair I have been invited to hold, ’Gender and Women’s Same-Sex Relations Cross-culturally’. The University of Amsterdam. PDF Download.

Wong YW (2005). The Making of a Local Queen in an International Transsexual Beauty Contest. Paper presented at The First International Conference of Asian Queer Studies, Bangkok, Thailand, July. PDF Download. Download Page.xx

Winter S (2006). What Made Me This Way? Contrasting Reflections by Thai and Filipina Transwomen.Intersections, 14. Full Text.

Winter S, Udomsak N (2002)  Male, Female and Transgender: Stereotypes and Self in Thailand. International Journal of Trangenderism, 6(1). Full Text.

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