Queer Bangkok after the Millennium; Beyond Twentieth-Century Paradigms

Abstract

Sexual and gender cultures change constantly in response to shifts in social, political, and economic forces. This book details major changes that have taken place in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender/transsexual (LGBT) cultures and communities in Bangkok in the first decade of the twenty-first century. The capital of Thailand since 1782, Bangkok is a sprawling metropolis of more than 10 million people, and, as home to almost one-sixth of the country's population, it is the unrivalled centre of national economic, political, and cultural activity. Highly visible gay, lesbian (tom-dee), and transgender/transsexual (kathoey) cultures emerged in the city in the decades after World War II, and Bangkok is also unrivalled as the centre of Thai queer life. As shown in the studies collected here, the first years of the new century have marked a significant transition moment for all of Thailand's LGBT cultures, with a multidimensional expansion in the geographical extent, media presence, economic importance, political impact, social standing, and cultural relevance of Thai queer communities, which were already among the largest in the region-and, indeed, the world. Show more