This book presents the very first analysis of male homosexuality in modern rural Thailand that is based on sociological/anthropological research directly with 25 young same-sex attracted men. It explores changes in the way men view and describe their sexuality over time by interviewing them three times over a period of around 18 months. The men are followed during an important transition in their lives: the end of their high school years and the end (in most cases) of their life as a child with parents or extended family at a rural home. Nearly all decided to move to a city to continue their education or to find work. Some also had stints with sex work in one of Thailand’s well-known centers for prostitution. For nearly all men, this transition brought them into contact with new ideas about gender and sexuality, and many experienced an abrupt increase in their opportunities to have sex, leading to a readjustment of their moral universes. The book presents significant new insights about the Thai sex/gender system, particularly on how it is affected by processes of globalization and the ascent of the Internet and mobile phones as tools for dating and romance.

Union Bridge Books

Plurus Books

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

2021-02-15

"Male Homosexuality in 21st-Century Thailand is based on a sociological study of 25 rural homosexual young men. The were each interviewed three times during a two-year period, starting when they were 18 years old and just about to finish high school. Most moved to bigger cities in order to study or find work--including, for some, in the sex industry. The study uncovered significant fluidity, contradictions, variety and change in how they viewed themselves and in their aspirations for the future, including for their romantic life. Placed in the overall context of Thai culture and society, the book distills important insights on what it means to be gay in contemporary Thailand"--Back cover

2025-04-02