From the portrayal of sexual diversity in movies to controversies in real life, here is what happened in the LGBTI community in the past month.
TEACHING A LESSON
This New Year sure started as a whirlwind. And just 28 days in, it's unbelievable the drama that is engulfing Thailand's LGBTI community.
This controversy concerns LGBTI teachers everywhere. "Can the third gender become a teacher?" asked the Undergraduate Student Council of Faculty of Education at Chulalongkorn University's Facebook page, which has since drawn intense public criticism.
Prior to that, a transgender student at the faculty filed a request to wear a female uniform, which she used to do until an academic staff member reprimanded her and allegedly chastised her in front of her class. Later on, the said staff prohibited her from wearing a female uniform or she could lose class points and even lose her status as a student.
It didn't stop there. The Faculty of Education faces allegations against its staff member. An audio clip of the alleged lecturer was later released, with the said voice condemning LGBTI people as mentally ill and unfit to be teachers.
A Change.org petition was recently released, organised by none other than Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, calling for the faculty to investigate this homophobic behaviour. The faculty responded by announcing it will grant the transgender student's request to wear a female uniform. It also promised to look into the matter of the homophobic lecturer, though no apparent action has been taken at the time of writing.
What makes a teacher? Their clothes? Their gender identity? Or their ability to teach? And how worrying is it that a place that fosters future teachers also has staff that fosters these homophobic ideas? We now wait to see in which direction the situation will unfold and what future action the university will take.
EDUCATE US
Netflix's Sex Education became the talk of Thailand after wannabe politicians called its ads too raunchy and unfit for Thai youth. As a result, well, more and more people are now watching the show.
Sex Education is raunchy indeed, with no holding back on teen sex or shots of male full frontal nudity. But aside from the standard heterosexual relationship, the series also embraces homosexual storylines. It depicts same-sex relationships and how youths are navigating the confusing world of gender.
I like how we really get to see these characters with story and substance, that their presence doesn't just merely add colour and flair to the show, but also drives it. Offering both struggle and triumph, and how the characters grow into themselves and come into their own, storylines of LGBTI characters are well-thought out and complex with outlooks on culture and family dynamics.
We see, for example, the character of Eric (played by Ncuti Gatwa), an out black gay man at school who's best friends with Otis (Asa Butterfield), the centre of the story. While it's so easy to push aside his character to be simply comic relief or the stereotypical gay bestie, we also get to see how Eric interacts with the people around him, from those at school to -- and especially -- his religious family.
The narratives of black gay men can be quite limited as their family background is concerned. I like how Sex Education has been going so far regarding its depictions of LGBTI characters, and I can't wait for more.
TROUBLED GIRL
The trans ballerina tale Girl is not easy to love.
Let's be clear. It's quite a good film. A fine debut feature by Lukas Dhont. It also won the Queer Palm among other accolades at Cannes. And I haven't even started on its lead Victor Polster yet. Forget the argument about cisgender, straight people taking on transgender roles here for a minute. Polster totally nailed his performance of the fragile and sensitive Lara, a young transgender woman caught amid her transition, dream career, and the pressure of both that take a great toll on her to the breaking point where (spoilers!) she decided to severe her own penis with scissors.
A scene from Girl, starring Victor Polster, left, as the transgender ballerina Lara. Photo: Sahamongkol Film
Girl fixates and fascinates on the body. The flesh, skin, and all the appendages that come with it. And perhaps this is what the problem is. The strange obsession with a trans' body and genitalia from the eye of a cisgender filmmaker.
It's a film that cisgender critics seem to love, and one that some LGBTI critics just can't bring themselves to love. Many are concerned of a message it could be sending regarding the transition process, and that the film's ending may encourage self-harm and mutilation.
GOING FOR GOLD
The Oscar nominations are out, and it's looking to be a great year for films with LGBTI themes, characters and cast.
Our eyes are definitely on the dark period comedy, Yorgos Lanthimos's The Favourite, which scored 10 nominations (a tie with Roma for most nominated pictures this year). The awards recognised three of its acting talents -- Olivia Colman (nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role), and both Rachel Weisz (who finds herself in yet another lesbian relationship following Disobedience) and Emma Stone for Best Supporting Actress. The film sees Weisz and Stone's characters vying for the attention of Queen Anne (Colman) which soon manifests into a heady lesbian love triangle. The Favourite is also nominated for Best Picture.
Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic that centres on Queen and its late frontman, the legendary Freddie Mercury, also nabbed some Oscar nods. Rami Malek, who embodied Mercury splendidly, is nominated for Best Actor.
A Star Is Born sees Lady Gaga blossoming from a drag bar into a superstar in her own right. Gaga identifies as bisexual and is vocal about LGBTI advocacy. Her performance has earned her Best Actress nomination. Her song Shallow is also nominated.
Both Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born are also in the running for the much coveted Best Picture. Other Oscar contenders include Green Book and Can You Ever Forgive Me?, in which their leading characters are either implied as or are out LGBTI.
Find out all the winners on the morning of Feb 25, Thailand time.
Contact melalinm@bangkokpost.co.th for news and views of LGBTI.
