We are not walking alone
Thai society doesn't make it easy to press for LGBT rights, but with every push, you can see it changing, bit by bit
Since Sor Dor 43 documentation was introduced and sexual identity won constitutional protection, people have taken LGBT issues more seriously. TV drama series try to “educate” viewers by depicting “ordinary” gay people while talk shows repeatedly cover matters of sexual equality. And reporters are more careful when writing stories about LGBT people.
Britain provided a surprise, meanwhile, when an ICM poll found that 52 per cent of Conservative Party supporters agree with Prime Minister David Cameron’s same-sex-marriage policy. Among respondents between 18 and 24 years of age, the figure was 77 per cent.
In the US, same-sex marriage is gradually being accepted in most states, with Maryland the latest to alter the law. And a petition has appeared on the White House’s We The People website demanding that the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church – which launched the slogan “God Hates Fags” – be formally designated a hate group.
The petition has more than 300,000 signatures, 10 times the minimum required to instigate legislative action. Protesters have picketed the church everywhere its deeply un-Christian message appears and its website has been hacked several times.
Thailand has not seen any such passionate confrontations. Thais tend to care more about other people’s feelings and shun big controversies. Last year’s moves to introduce an equal-opportunity bill will be followed by an appeal for safeguarding the welfare of same-sex partners. Conscious that it’s a sensitive matter in Thailand, the group working on this issue has decided to propose new legislation rather than amending the marriage law.
I think there’s a good possibility this bill will pass if changes continue to happen around the world. The reason is that we’re not walking alone anymore. Straight citizens are gathering to support us. The UK poll and the US petition show the trend. Support for our cause is broader than many people think, and we need the mass media to tell the government what the people think.
The change has been happening for a while, and now the results are becoming clearer in every corner of the world. Keep the change moving and don’t give up, because there are many people standing beside us.
