Some gay activists are not so sure about a new national headcount of sexual minorities in Thailand to help design a better living and welfare policy for them. Chadlerm Jandee said, “Sexuality is a very wide spectrum and LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbians, Gays, Transgenders, Queers, Intersex, Asexuals and others.” He added that many people who have gay experiences don’t necessarily identify as homosexual.
Thai premier Srettha Thavisin said the forthcoming marriage act for same sex partners is not the end of the story. “We then want to pursue gender recognition (the right of people to choose their identity on official documents) and sex worker laws,” he explained. The new survey of the National Statistical Office and others will be based on provincial households and online surveys of Thais aged 15 and above.
There have already been many attempts in Thailand to pinpoint gay numbers. Ipsos, the market research organization, this year estimated 9 percent of 71 million Thais, but others have suggested anywhere from 3 percent to over 20 percent. It is generally agreed that younger Thais, in particular the GenZ generation presently aged up to 27 years, are more likely to identify with a sexual minority than older citizens.
Research into gay numbers worldwide has a long history. American Alfred Kinsey in the 1940s toyed with a 10 percent ceiling and was the first to recognize the spectrum of sexuality on the scale of 0-6. In Nazi Germany, SS leader Heinrich Himmler set up a committee to combat homosexuality and ordered the expansion of Dachau concentration camp after being told gays were 2 percent of the adult population.
Porranee Phuprasert, assistant manager of ThaiHealth, said the new survey will collect data on health, mental condition, living conditions and relationships in an attempt to combat stereotypes and discrimination. He said gays still face hostility in the workplace and from gay bashers. Meanwhile, the prime minister is keen to boost revenue by maximizing international tourist arrivals during the 2024 Global Gay Pride Calendar.
Ann “Waaddao” Chumaporn, an organizer of gay pride events, said more gay people were prepared to come out these days. “20 years ago, there were no mobile phones, no Facebook, no widespread internet, no nothing. There were only posters that I had put up in gay bars,” Ann concluded. “If there are more Thais now identifying as gay or belonging to a sexual minority, that’s no surprise.”
