Who said gay men only talk about sex? We gathered a panel of amazing-and-so-out gays at the lovely Ted’s Café & Bakery (Asoke Tower, Asoke, 02-260-0205/6) and got them to shoot the shit on politics, society, human rights and, OK, reality TV.

Our Panel

●Ajarn Viroj Tangvarnich

Chinese culture expert, candidate for senator in 2006, former president of Fasiroong Organization (www.fasiroong.org).

●M.L. Choopol Choompol

Editor of Hype magazine (www.hype-magazine.com).

●Nikorn Arthit

Activist, president of the Bangkok Rainbow Organization (www.bangkokrainbow.org).

●Jim Elder

Executive Committee member of Bangkok Gay Pride Festival (www.pridefestival.org) and Long Yang Club Thailand (www.longyangclub.org/thailand/), sales and marketing manager of Thai Puan Magazine, co-owner of @Richard’s Pub & Restaurant (www.richards-bangkok.com).

What do you want to see in Thai politics?

Choopol: I wanna see a gay, not a closeted gay, but an openly gay man, running the government or a political party. I really wanna see that.

Viroj: I tried to be the first gay senator, but I failed. In the last election, I got around 10,000 votes, but most of the people who voted for me aren’t gay. Gays don’t vote. Gays don’t care about politics. All they care about is sex.

Nikorn: I want to see unity. We have to build trust among our own people and gays in foreign countries. I don’t want to see each party fighting with one another all the time. We should work together and see whose policies work best for the country.

Do we understand the meaning of “human rights” in Thailand?

Nikorn: We’re born with rights, but not many people realize that. We don’t even know when our rights have been violated, sometimes. We Thais tend to compromise, forgive and forget; the “chang mun” tradition makes us ignore when our rights are abused. What we lack are laws that can support our rights.

Viroj: The authorities don’t fully understand the meaning of “human rights,” let alone gay rights.

In light of what happened with Sang Satawat, what do you think about censorship?

Jim: They seem to be open and broadcast everything I know on television here, anyway. But where I can notice censorship is on the Internet.

Nikorn: It’s our right to receive info, news or any other kind of media that we want to, freely. Some people think that if there isn’t any censorship, we’ll have more problems. But if we want to ban everything, why don’t we just produce dharma movies and programs, and we’ll see in 10 years if it works? Censorship is not the only answer to make our society better.

Viroj: We must remember that we all have rights, but the media also has a duty to society.

Choopol: I think the real issue is education. Everybody should be taught moral conduct. Everyone has his or her own conscience to identify right from wrong. We are supposed to have free speech.

Jim: I personally believe that everyone is responsible for his or her own actions. I don’t know if they need to keep doing things like the new liquor laws they are trying to pass because there are already laws on the books—you can’t drink if you’re under 20, the ban on advertising. But I don’t know if that’s really censorship or if they have a moral duty to the people.

Nikorn: I quite agree that education is the real issue. You can’t just blame everything on TV: Kids need to be advised by their families. Take Sang Satawat getting banned because a monk was playing guitar in it: Even though this kind of thing happens in real life, the censors think that it’s bad to show it.

What do you think about the early closing times?

Choopol: I quite agree with the government. Why should we party all night? Thais are very undisciplined. They need someone to tell them to stop. Three hours for a really good party is enough.

Jim: Tourists don’t want to come here and have go to bed at midnight. If you go to Malaysia, a Muslim country, there is drinking all night long. I believe that people have to take the matter into their own hands.

Nikorn: I don’t really agree with early closing times, but there’re a lot of bad things associated with keeping bars and clubs open all night: prostitution, drugs, corruption. It’s the authorities’ responsibilityto control the consequences of late night partying.

Viroj: Making a law isn’t the answer to everything.

What do you think about our TV ratings system?

Nikorn: To be honest, it’s not really effective or practical.

Choopol: It’s good that we have ratings on TV, but they are not really that helpful.

Viroj: It works on Hollywood movies, but it won’t work with Thai television. Some time ago, I got a call asking me what I think about Pink TV [France’s gay TV channel]. Thais are not ready for that; we’re not mature enough to be responsible for our own actions.

Nikorn: I look at it differently. When we say “gay” TV, all people think about is “sex.” We have to think more about content on a pink channel. We should do a metrosexual channel that doesn’t focus on gay issues but more broadly about men. That’s the gay lifestyle, anyway.

Viroj: We already have gay lifestyle programs and gay presenters on TV. What we have today on TV is gays being portrayed in the wrong way, so if we’re going to have more of this, don’t bother startinga gay channel.

AF4 is on its way. Are you over reality shows yet?

Jim: I’m not a big TV fan anyway, so I don’t watch them every day. But when they do an elimination show, it’s entertaining.

Nikorn: I think reality TV is a big hit because we, Thais, have a nosy nature. We want to know about other people’s lives and affairs.

Viroj: It’s just another scam to make money.

Is our society getting better or worse?

Choopol: I just wrote an article for a magazine in Hong Kong on this issue, and I was being really pessimistic about it. I feel that we’re losing ourselves. Thais used to be, you know, modest, gentle and honest. That’s gone. Everyone is greedier and we have become liars and cheaters.

Jim: I’ve been here since 1998, and I feel a tremendous change. I’m not saying that it’s good or bad but I think when it’s time, everything has to change. Bangkok is very western now, but once you get out of Bangkok, the family life and old ways of living are still there.

Nikorn: We are very open-minded. We embrace every culture and blend them into our own. There are new trends and fads happening every day. A few years ago, we used to be crazy about hip hop and all things western, but now a Korean craze has taken over. So in my opinion, Thai society is ever-changing.

Viroj: I saw an ad on cable TV. It showed people from various countries wearing their national costumes. But then in the end, everybody was wearing a jacket and a tie, very westernized, and everyone was speaking English. That made me very concerned. We are the most open country in Asia, but the fact is that sometimes we are exposed to other cultures too much and we lose our Thai identity.

Nikorn: Well, that may be true, but in my opinion, Bangkok is just a small part of the country. I think the lifestyles in other provinces haven’t changed that much. Or if they have, they are changing very slowly. We aren’t westernized…not yet.

Viroj: Come on. Even the rural areas have changed now, and not in a good way. We’ve become materialistic, and we aren’t spiritually developed.

Nikorn: I don’t think everyone is materialistic. I think we still adhere to many values like respecting our elders and being with our families. All the facilities just help to make our lives easier. That’s all.

What do think of people like Rabiebrat criticizing sexy actresses?

Choopol: She doesn’t treat people with respect. I think people can tell right from wrong without her bossing people around.

Viroj: Actually, it’s not just her. There are a lot of old-fashioned people who like to make rules, saying that the young generations are ruining the culture. But they themselves can’t even explain to the young what culture is. Why is wearing a skimpy dress wrong when the traditional Thai costume looks exactly like a TV cliché? We shouldn’t just make rules. We should educate and find a way to connect with teens.

Nikorn: Some think she criticizes stars because she wants to be famous, the talk of the town. But I think because of her title, which is president of the Happy Family Association, she has to step up and say something when those actresses act inappropriately.

Do we have too many shopping malls?

Nikorn: I think so. I don’t know why there’re so many new shopping malls popping up.

Choopol: Coming from me, a shopper, this may sound unbelievable, but I do think we need more green spaces, not more malls. It’d be great if we had lots of recreational parks where people can go and enjoy the fresh air.

Jim: But the thing is, if there are more parks, will people go to the parks or will they just go to the malls anyway because it’s so hot outside?

What else do we need in Bangkok?

Choopol: I think we should have fewer cars. People should be able to use bicycles. Last time I went to Berlin, there were bicycles for rent. There were bicycle lanes and people rode bikes everywhere. It would be nice if Bangkok was like that.

Viroj: More trees and less buildings.

Nikorn: Art and cultural centers. We have very few places where people can go and study what they are interested in.

Is there such a thing as a “metrosexual”—or is that just a polite way to say that they are gay?

Viroj: It’s just a new term to describe men who know how to take care of themselves and who dislike the terms “gay” or “katoey.” There are real metrosexuals. Many gay people hide themselves behind this word. At the end of the day, sexual preference is the only way to distinguish straights from gays in the metrosexual category.

Jim: Definitely, especially in Thailand where there’s much more openness.

Nikorn: Personally, I think of all the people claiming to be metrosexuals, only 20% of those guys really are. Men’s lifestyles have changed, but there is no line to define gay from metrosexual. Metrosexual is another term closeted gays use to describe themselves, especially those who have reputationsin society to protect.

Choopol: The good thing about metrosexuals is that they’re gay friendly, but I think many have the potential to become gay. I think whoever created this term doesn’t want to draw the line between gay and straight.

Jim: I consider metrosexual to be the same as bisexual. They are more open and more discreet about themselves than in the past. And I think it’s more a marketing tool than anything.

Do gays encourage men in general to be more consumerist?

Viroj: I think so and I think they are greedy, too. They want more of everything.

Nikorn: It’s about marketing. It was the gay segment that made products formerly designed for women socially acceptable for straight men to buy and use. It’s all about the image of a product. There are plenty of products that are explicitly for gays, but of course they can’t use that term. “That” credit card, for example. Once you look at the benefits from that card, you know that it was designed for gays. But ostensibly, it’s for “metrosexuals.”

Choopol: It’s ironic; I think all Thai culture is so gay.

Viroj: At the end of the day, whatever you call yourself, if you end up having sex with someone of the same sex, you’re gay.

Are gays really accepted in Thai society or just ignored?

Viroj: In a hidden way, but not very open.

Jim: I live and work in Silom, so from my point of view it’s open and accepted. But one of my friends is out, and his family has no idea that he’s gay. So he’s out but doesn’t want to be that out. Once I asked a Thai gay why he didn’t come to the Bangkok Pride Festival. He just said he didn’t want to be seen there.

Choopol: We are more tolerated than accepted.

Nikorn: Partly accepted, and that’s why there is gay marketing. The way to make Thai society accept gays is to make it get used to gays first. Society just accepts homosexuals on one level but not all gayness is accepted. I believe that Thais think gays are fine as long as he or she is not a relative or their kid.

Viroj: Homosexuality is still condemned in society. Gays who are not out can advance in their careers much more easily than those who are not. We’ve had many closeted gays in high ranking positions—politicians, senators—some of which have families. As long as they are not out, they can be whatever. Society has its way to restrict, position or keep gays out of the system.

Does the media portray gays inaccurately?

Nikorn: Certainly, most gays on TV are just part of the way to spice up the story. Gays on TV are usually sex maniacs who want nothing else but to hunt guys.

Viroj: People don’t want to talk about the gay issue; they just want to see gays. Their personal conception is that gays are freaks and comedians, like pandas.

Is Bangkok “gay”?

Viroj: I would say Bangkok is a gay paradise.All: (laughing) I agree!