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- Buddhism, Homosexuality, and Non-binary Genders in Thailand
Buddhism, Homosexuality, and Non-binary Genders in Thailand
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This paper looks at the truth behind the claim that Thailand is known for welcoming and tolerant attitudes towards the LGBT community
| author | Petrachaianan, Krit (Class of 2017) |
| Title | Buddhism, Homosexuality, and Non-binary Genders in Thailand |
| Advisor | Rietz, Henry (Faculty/Staff) |
| supporting host | Grinnell College. Religious Studies |
| Index Date | 2015 |
| Date Issued | 05-14-2015 |
| Publisher | Grinnell College |
| Genre | Essay |
| Digital Origin | born digital |
| Extent | 21 pages |
| Media Type | |
| Description | In popular media, Thailand has been known for its welcoming and tolerant attitudes towards members of LGBT community. This paper looks at the truth behind this claim, looking at contemporary Thai society from a variety of perspectives, especially from the lens of Thai Buddhism. It seeks to explore the complex attitudes of the Thai on both homosexuality and transgenderism, shedding some light on the society’s apparent paradox of both stigmatization and acceptance of non-heterosexual identities, while seeking to understand the origins of such attitudes. With an initial discussion of the history of the Tai peoples and the gender paradigms in these societies, followed by an exploration of "third genders" in traditional Buddhist scriptures, the paper first introduces the necessary background to the question, a foundation from which further analyses can be established upon. Then, the construction of sexual identities in the contexts specific to contemporary Thailand is discussed. I argue that that due to specific cultural and historical circumstances, gender and sexuality in Thailand are almost indistinguishable from one another, and are heavily tied to a rigid gender dichotomy. Here, I am finally able to address the paradox between the conservative Buddhist traditions and unrestrained sexual cultures of Thailand, showing that the two aspects might not be completely unrelated. Towards the end of the paper, I attempt to understand how these two aspects interact by considering contemporary instances of both discrimination and progress towards equality in the public sector. I argue that attitudes and gender identities in Thailand are still undergoing constant change. Even though homosexuals and transgendered are still stigmatized in Thai society, people have become more accepting in the past few years, due to influence from an increased global acceptance of gender and sexual minorities. |
| OCS Note | This object was part of "Conferences @ Digital Grinnell", an instance of the Open Conference System (OCS) which was retired from service in September 2021. |
| Language | English |
| Topic | Homosexuality |
| Topic | Gay rights |
| Topic | Gender identity |
| Geographic | Thailand |
| Temporal | 21st century |
| Classification | HQ73.3 T52 |
| Related Item | Student Scholarship |
| Related Item | Undergraduate Student Symposium |
| Related Item | Digital Grinnell |
| Identifier (u2) | REL |
| Identifier (local) | grinnell:30066 |
| Access Condition | Copyright to this work is held by the author(s), in accordance with United States copyright law (USC 17). Readers of this work have certain rights as defined by the law, including but not limited to fair use (17 USC 107 et seq.). |
| Identifier (hdl) | http://hdl.handle.net/11084/30066 |
| Identifier (u2) | REL |