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November '97
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Letters
Vol 1. No 2. November, 1997
History, Skin and Peter Jackson
The following is an interview with Doctor Peter Jackson, a Research Fellow in Thai History at the Australian National University and author of Intrinsic Quality of Skin and Dear Uncle Go: Male Homosexuality in Thailand.
PI: How did you become involved in the study
of Thai history?
PJ: I have been interested in South and
Southeast Asian culture since I was at high school.
However, I felt a special affinity with Thailand from my
first visit here as a tourist in 1980. For some reason I
felt more at home in Thailand than in any of the other
Asian countries I travelled in. But my decision to learn
Thai and to undertake postgraduate study here (originally
on Thai Buddhism) was also a calculated career move.
What was life like for a gay man or woman 100
years ago in Thailand?
Of course 100 years ago the category
"gay" did not exist in Thailand or anywhere
else for that matter. We know from some fragmentary
historical accounts that same-sex activity occurred, but
the notion of homosexual or gay identity certainly did
not exist. It is also quite likely that Thai men and
women who engaged in same sex activity in the last
century understood their desires, interactions and
relationships quite differently from people today. For
example, I suspect that very few homosexually active
people would have thought that same sex desire could form
the basis of ongoing relationships or partnerships. Most
would have thought of themselves as ordinary
"men" or "women" who got married, had
children and so no but who simply "played with a
friend" (len pheuan) now and then.
Is Thailand as tolerant towards homosexuality
as is often claimed?
Thailand is fairly tolerant of same sex activity
compared to many other societies, but it is still fairly
unaccepting of homosexuality. This means that there is
comparatively little active intervention to prevent or
punish same sex activity, but there is a tremendous
amount of gossip and innuendo, slander and other forms of
character assassination that make it very difficult for
the vast majority of Thai homosexual men and women to
come out.
What was the inspiration behind
"Intrinsic Quality of Skin"?
I tried my hand at writing fiction because I
found that there were many issues surrounding living in
Thailand as a gay man that I could not analyse
satisfactorily in traditional academic studies. "The
Intrinsic Quality of Skin" has a number of themes.
Firstly, I wanted to provide an experiential account that
debunked the myth of Thailand as a gay paradise. I also
wanted to oppose the stereotypical and exploitative
exoticisation of Asian men's bodies that one finds in
some Western homo-erotica on Asia. At the same time, I
wanted to critique the opposite but very common racist
view within many Western gay subcultures that Asian men
are not erotically attractive.
What are your future plans concerning Thailand
and the study of homosexuality here?
I'm working on a number of projects at the
moment, but unfortunately they are progressing a little
more slowly than I would like. My main project is a
history of how gay, lesbian and kathoey issues have been
treated in the Thai press and media over the past five
decades. A second project is to record the lives of Thai
men of different ages and from diverse social backgrounds
who are breaking with the expectation to marry by
building their social, erotic and emotional lives around
other men.
How would you characterise the current gay
community in Thailand?
I do not think that Thailand or Bangkok has a
gay community in the sense of a group of people who
share common goals, aspirations, rituals, celebrations,
etc. Most gay men in Thailand remain very closetted and
until many more are prepared to be visible in public I do
not think a true gay community will develop. However,
there is a definite gay subculture and there are many
networks of friends, and so on. I am not a futurologist,
but if the trends of the past four decades continue I
think we can expect increasing numbers of homosexually
active men to avoid marriage and seek to find and live
with a male partner. At this point in time there seems to
be no sign of a Thai gay movement developing or of a mass
coming out of gay men.
Do you think Thailand will ever allow legal
gay/lesbian marriages?
Unless a public movement develops advocating
this legal change, I don't think that it will happen in
the near future.
What advice would you give for young people
coming to terms with their sexuality?
I always tell my Thai gay friends that they
should not feel ashamed of their feelings for other men.
In my own depressed moments I try to cheer myself up by
reflecting on how much has been achieved in so few years,
and how important gay friends are. I think a good gay
friend is worth his weight in gold. In my experience gay
friendships last a lot longer than the average
relationship and so nurturing friendships is perhaps the
most important thing a gay man can do in maintaining his
mental health and a positive outlook on life.
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