Male Homosexuality in 21st-Century Thailand

“Research and scholarship on human sexuality have increased dramatically in the last 50 years in an era of rapid globalisation and changed with the development of critical sexuality studies as a field. Jan W. de Lind van Wijngaarden’s pathbreaking, in-depth study of male homosexuality among young men in modern Thailand as they move into young adulthood is a significant new contribution to our understanding of human sexuality. A must read.” —Gary W. Dowsett, PhD, FASSA, Emeritus Professor, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

“These fascinating stories of personhood, self-presentation, and transformation among Thai youth truly challenge us to reexamine the boundaries of concepts like homosexuality, transgenderism, identity, and love in the context of Thailand.” —Timo Ojanen, Foreign Expert, Faculty of Learning Sciences and Education, Thammasat University, Thailand

Although foreign gender scholars and sex tourists appreciate Thailand’s trinary gender system of male, female, and kathoey (feminized men), some locals do squeeze the latter into the masculine/feminine binary construct. Customarily, though, sexual relationships should still be hetero-gendered—a Thai same-sex couple usually comprises a masculine and feminine partner. Wijngaarden (independent public health scholar) finds, however, that thanks to the proliferation of internet dating and available pornography, Western understandings of homosexual identity and practice now overlay the traditional system: young feminine men who first identified as kathoey have come to embrace more prestigious masculine identities, i.e., "both" (sexually versatile). The author interviewed 25 rural 18- to 20-year-olds (most had already left home) over a two-year period to track changes in their self-understandings and practices. His findings include that personhood remains embedded within a context of family, Buddhist belief, relational etiquette, harmonious hierarchy, and preservation of honor, continuing to shape young men's behavior. Less insistence on a "true" internal self and acceptance that one's public and private personae may diverge and shift according to context distinguish Thai homosexuality from current Western understandings. Wijngaarden describes Thai gay communities as "flimsy," with implications for HIV awareness campaigns, which he suggests should concentrate their efforts in rural secondary schools and on the internet. — L. Lindstrom, University of Tulsa