There is no app for that
A lot of women get anxious about their boyfriends' sexuality early in the relationship.
My women friends always ask me to assure them about the guys they’re dating. I just joke that they should let me prove it by sleeping with them!
In fact, deciding who is gay isn’t quite as easy as it supposedly was with the smart-phone application “Is My Son Gay?”
The app – now dropped from the market – involved a list of questions like “Does your son like to dress well?” and “Does he like musicals?” Obviously it was going for the stereotypes. The app’s creator insisted it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, but how many people were aware of that?
I love musicals but I don’t love to dress up. I just wear ordinary clothes like any other guy. So the app might have had me rethinking my sexual identity. Maybe I’d have to change my wardrobe and adjust my appearance to suit the expected answers – just to confirm that I’m gay.
Such stereotyping ensures that society’s understanding of homosexuality remains narrow, and it confuses gay men at the same time about their lifestyle choices.
Let’s now consider the relaxing new TV show “Toey Tiaw Thai” (“Katoey Travel around Thailand”). I love the three katoey hosts, who have a magical ability to make every place fun.
Pompam, Non and Gotji look totally different from one another. Pompam is a muscled skinhead, Non is lean and groomed and Gotji acts and dresses like a woman. The only similarity is the way they talk.
The first thing I noticed on the show is the diversity among people who call themselves katoey. The variation in lifestyles is remarkable and utterly undermines the prevailing stereotype.
The three hosts together also reflect the majority of katoey – full of humour and witty conversation – but is this also a stereotype?
Fun, talking loudly, being ostentatious and constantly kidding men are all common enough characteristics among katoey. But I think they’re just being like any straight person in wanting to show their bright side.
No one wants to be sad all the time in front of other people. It’s just that katoey tend to present this trait more openly than others.
I hope the show presents more aspects of katoey, such as their feelings about environmental issues and how they might work their magic to solve the problems. To be sure, the show can give a truer understanding of katoey than any app for a smart-phone.
