Sudarat’s party reaches out to LGBTQ+ voters with bold video
For the first time in the history of Thai politics, a new political party, the Thai Sang Thai Party, has launched a VDO campaign portraying a romance between two male candidates in a bid to woo younger generation voters.
Issues concerning LGBTQ+ are figuring on the agenda of several political parties as they go all out to woo voters.
Sudarat Keyuraphan, the leader of Thai Sang Thai, and her party are among those publicly supporting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Only love can give us the willpower to continue on the campaign trail. In this election, express your affection for the political philosophy, the people, and friendship since doing so will help the country survive its predicament,” said Thai Sang Thai’s Y-Story video caption.
The male-male romance “Boy Love”, or BL, is called "Y Series”, in Thailand.
It is derived from the Japanese word "yaoi" and refers to a subgenre of fictional media that features homoerotic relationships between male characters.
The two actors featured in the party’s series are Narutchai “Pom” Bunnag, a candidate from Bangkok District 3, Yan Nawa - Bang Kho Laem, and Sirapob “Nic” Somphol, a candidate from District 1, Sakon Nakhon province.
The three-minute story shows the two running an election campaign, and Nic becoming worried about his speech.
Pom believes he is adorable when he appears distressed, but he prefers the expression when he is around people.
In a flashback, they are seen working together on the campaign and taking care of each other.
When Nic finally musters the confidence to speak, he promises to protect everyone's hearts.
Pom's final words in the video are, “No matter what people say, I'll always choose you.”
Most comments about the video were encouraging, such as“Quite distinct from this party, it’s cute”; “I love the presentation, it’s very modern.”
Some comments were less generous, with a few suggesting that “It would add a little more depth if there was a scenario advocating gender equality or marriage equality policy.”
“Stop the culture of queer baiting. Propose laws that support gender equality, or take a stance in favour of marriage equality legislation, or whichever is preferable,” another comment said.
In reply, the party said: “The Thai Sang Thai Party has a policy of supporting marriage equality, gender identity recognition, and ending gender discrimination. We are presenting this video to show that BL can be brought into politics or in other dimensions, it’s not just the preferences of a small group, but the country’s product that can be exported or generate income for the country through tourism.”
Pom said the production took four hours and it was challenging to express loving affection to another male friend.
“Discrimination against LGBTQ+, people with tattoos, and people with diversity still exists in Thailand,” said Pom.
“I want diverse individuals to feel hopeful. If you are a good person, I want you to be self-assured and come out to support each other's efforts for equality,” he said.
“One of our policies is to promote Thainess,” said Sudarat
“Many countries enjoy Thai goods, culture, and movies. Good and brilliant people are not based on their gender. As a result, we must motivate them to work diligently as well as promote Thainess and diversity,” she said.
Watch the VDO campaign: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=547614574154426&extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&mibextid=2Rb1fB&ref=sharing
