ariel alba

In 2015, the Thai State approved the first Gender Equality Law that exists in Southeast Asia. I already said it in a previous comment. The text of the law also includes a long list of exceptions that reduce its effectiveness: it is not applicable when it influences national security, the exercise of religious principles or in cases of positive discrimination. It also does not take into account Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) within its powers.
Members of the LGBT+ community are allowed to live in Thailand, but they are not accepted. Their rights and sexual orientation are not accepted. Not even the only law that protects community members accepts gender identity. There is no law that allows equal marriage even though this is one of the basic civil rights of human beings. There is no law that legally supports community members to form a family.
Religion also hits the Thai LGBT+ community hard. Thailand is a country where 90% of the population professes Buddhism. Buddhists think that transsexuality and homosexuality are punishments from fate because in one of your previous lives you did something bad. For this reason, Buddhism tends to look down on LGBT+ people. According to this religion, sexual condition is a divine punishment.
Buddhists encourage feeling sorry for LGBT+ people. They do not see community members as equals, but rather as second-class citizens. Religion generates a stigma that is difficult to overcome on a professional level. Thai society only accepts members of the LGBT+ community if they limit themselves to working in the entertainment and beauty industry.

It is true that draft laws have been discussed for years that would protect Thai homosexuals and provide same-sex couples with the same rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples. But it is also true that the content of these projects focuses on the property administration rights of same-sex couples, and leaves aside more sensitive and controversial issues such as family, adoption of children or the possibility of undergoing treatments. assisted reproduction.

Thailand is one of the few countries in the world where members of the LGBT community are separated from the rest of the incarcerated, according to their gender or orientation, for greater protection. Prisoners are divided into prisons as katoey, homosexuals, Tom and Dee.

In Thailand, transsexual prisoners run the risk of being victims of abuse when they are incarcerated in men's prisons, which is what they are considered in Thailand according to their identity documents, without taking into account their passage through complete surgery to make their body is in line with its identity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Thailand may face legal situations not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Thailand as long as it is in private spaces, but Such couples and households headed by same-sex couples do not have the same legal protections as heterosexual couples. It is estimated that around eight percent of the Thai population, five million people, are part of the LGBT demographic.​
These people's human rights are violated daily.
In 2013, the Bangkok Post reported that "while Thailand is seen as a tourist haven for same-sex couples, the reality for locals is that the law, and often public sentiment, is not so liberal." A 2014 report from the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations Development Program notes that LGBT people "still face discrimination that affects their social rights and employment opportunities," and "face difficulties in gain acceptance of non-traditional sexuality, although the tourism authority has been promoting Thailand as a gay country."

You say: “…the reality of the show is as fictional as the writer presents it…”. It's true, all fiction is a lie. But we also cannot ignore that for the public to find it interesting, that lie will have to seem true. That's called verisimilitude. Verisimilitude is the appearance of truth that a supposed reality that is presented to us in a work, in this case audiovisual, has. The importance of verisimilitude lies in the fact that it allows us to be interested and satisfied with the lie that is told to us.
We can only say that a fiction is plausible when, even if it is about facts that come from the author's imagination, it gives the impression of being true.
Plausibility will depend on whether, once the context is established, the story develops in a manner consistent with that context. How then can we believe in an honest Police that seeks justice or that allows homosexuals in its ranks, when in the context in which it operates it is corrupt, homophobic and repressive? Isn't that Police, I mean the Thai one, supposed to ensure compliance with the country's laws? Do these laws protect homosexuals?

Who says I don't enjoy the series? The fact that I really like the series is not an impediment to having very solid foundations regarding the questions I ask both about the series and the Thai reality that surrounds the series due to the plot it tells.

As I said: Same-sex unions are not currently recognized under Thai law. Homosexuals have no rights. Their rights are violated daily. Not only are there attacks by the Thai police on members of the LGBTQIA+ community, but the police also fail to investigate crimes committed against these people. There is no political will to protect community members.
Thailand is seen as a gay-friendly place, a gay paradise, but its laws are not egalitarian. As a general rule, Thai society, the Buddhist religion and parents do not accept homosexuality of their members or their children. These may even be expelled from their homes. Students identified as LGBT+, the same ones represented in the majority of BL series, not only suffer from physical and verbal harassment by their classmates, under the complicit and permissive gaze of the school management and faculty. They are also discriminated against and excluded from society because of their sexual orientation. In Thailand there is institutionalized discrimination and clear exclusion against homosexuals. But this doesn't just happen in classrooms. It occurs throughout Thai society, even affecting them in the workplace and the media. Isn't it true that members of the LGBT+ community are discriminated against when they opt for a higher-ranking position at work? Isn't it true that despite having good skills and being suitable for the job, many workers do not accept that their boss is gay, transsexual or lesbian?
The harassment and discrimination suffered by students has an impact on the personal development of students who suffer from harassment. On the other hand, it violates their rights to receive an education. It is common to see Thai students being treated for depression. Reports reveal that almost 7% of bullying victims have attempted suicide. Isn't it true that there are strict rules in the Thai education system that stipulate gender-specific haircuts and require wearing a uniform? Isn't it true that these measures contribute to highlighting members of the LGBT+ community? Is it true or not that whoever does not follow the rules is quickly pointed out and punished accordingly? Repression and discrimination against transgender people does not only occur when they are sex workers, as you say. Transsexuals in secondary schools and universities, even if they have changed their sex, must wear the uniform according to their sex at birth. Isn't this a means of repression? Can transgender people get a new driver's license or identification card with updated information after undergoing sex reassignment surgery? Can transgender people go to the high school or university office to change their old photo and their old first and last name to the current ones on their school records? Can a transgender worker delete his old photo and his old name and surname from his employment record and update it to the one he has after the sex reassignment operation? Is it not true that in Thailand, despite being the country where the largest number of sex reassignment surgeries in the world are performed, transsexuality is still considered a pathology, as recognized by that country's own Ministry of Public Health? In other words, isn't it true that it is still considered a “disease”? Isn't it true that despite this, every year Thai national television broadcasts live one of the most popular international beauty pageants for transgender people? Isn't this a way to attract tourists and give an image of a liberal country? Couldn't BL series, like The Sign and others, serve the same purpose?
Is it true or not that the act of going to the bathroom or sink can be a problem for transgender people where they are exposed not only to ridicule and harassment, but also to “unwanted touching?” Is it true or not that there are no services for the so-called "third sex" in schools, workplaces or on the street? Isn't it true that school textbooks describe transgender people as “people you should stay away from”? Isn't it true that they suffer violations and in many cases they don't even make any accusations because they know that they are not protected by the law?
Isn't it true that in 2013 the fight for Gender Equality began in Thailand when LGTB+ couples asked the Parliamentary Commission on Justice and Human Rights for a law to protect unions between people of the same sex, arguing that discrimination on grounds of gender was considered a violation of the Constitution? Is it not true that the Parliamentary Commission on Justice and Human Rights began drafting a bill for the “registration of life partners”, but the process was interrupted after the military coup in 2014 that overthrew the government? Isn't it true that in 2015 the Thai State passed the first Gender Equality Law that exists in Southeast Asia? Isn't it true that this law only on paper protects people discriminated against for reasons of gender and includes LGBT+ people, and I quote: “men, women or those who manifest a sex different from that at birth”? Is it not true that despite this, numerous surveys, such as the most recent one by the World Bank, recognize that, and I quote: “77% of transgender people questioned, 62.5% of lesbians and 44% “How many gay people stated that their job applications were rejected because they were LGBT+”? I ask you: Do you need more data to understand that the rights of Thai homosexuals are trampled every day? Do you need other evidence about the illegality of homosexuality in Thailand? Isn't the evidence presented here sufficient to understand that in that country there is exclusion and institutionalized discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation?

The premise at first is interesting and original in the context of a BL, especially if it is Thai, but shortly after, with the story halfway, the film appears to be very simple and quite predictable. Bird watching occurs only as a hobby or as part of a scientific, professional exercise. It seems that Third hired Pai to accompany him to the forest for three days to watch birds for one of these two purposes, but we will soon discover that there are other reasons. Third knows that his girlfriend only has clients who hire her as an escort or companion. On one of the outings, he follows his girlfriend and discovers that he has sex with these women for money. As if in a sort of revenge or “trying the same thing,” Third hires Pai to “bird watch.” I don't understand why you give him this excuse. Third knows in advance that Pai works as an escort or “Hand-holding” other men, that is, he is a man you pay to have sex with. Therefore, Third does not need to give you any reason to hire you. In fact, his girlfriend has just broken up with him because she refused to accept him doing this job. There is no doubt that prostitution is Pai's profession. At one point, Pai asks Third, “And if we want to say no when (clients) want to have sex, how do we compensate them in a way that makes them feel less bad and avoids bad reviews?”
Is this the story of a wounded boy seeking “revenge”? Is it the story of an escort who unexpectedly falls in love with one of his potential clients? Has Third carefully chosen Pai to accompany him or is it just a coincidence that it is this boy who accompanied him and not another?
In short, the film is not exactly original and, therefore, is uninteresting. Only a good script, good direction and good performances would save it. And none of this works well. The execution, on the other hand, is not good enough. The camera work and all the technical parameters do little to compensate for the low quality of the product.

On the same day as the premiere of The Sign, after watching the first episode, I wrote in MDL: “I think it is commendable that in a hostile, sexist, homophobic, masculinity environment, as the Police Force of any country is supposed to be, they tell a story. (maybe two, if we take into account Khem and Thongthai's relationship) of a romance between boys. But I wonder if this series is not a “whitewash” for the Thai Police. I hope that the series is not a tool to apply cosmetic touches to a Police accused of repressing members of the Thai LGBTQIA community.
Let us remember that homosexuality is still illegal and considered taboo in that country. Same-sex unions are not currently recognized under Thai law, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. This prevents gay couples from applying for bank loans or joint health insurance. It also makes it impossible to adopt children. Thai homosexuals do not enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals. Thai law denies transgender people from changing their sex on their national identity card.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1956, but was considered a mental illness until as recently as 2002. Many Thai Buddhists believe that homosexuality is a punishment for sins committed in a previous life. Let us remember that Thai homosexuals suffer physical and verbal harassment in the classrooms by their classmates, and discrimination at work, under the permissive gaze of society, despite the image of tolerance towards this group in order to attract tourism to the country. Let us remember that the Thai Police, the result of the Military Juntas that emerged after successive coups d'état, is accused, both by the local population and internationally, of being corrupt, torturing and repressive.
Let us not forget that the Royal Thai Police is the most corrupt state department in the country with tens of thousands of complaints annually, according to regular reports from the Office of the Ombudsman, and many of these complaints come from members of the Thai LGBTQIA community who do not They are mostly heard. “I would like not to politicize my comment, but it will be impossible for me.” Today, almost 8 weeks after watching the first episode of The Sign, I still think the same.

Hello. I have not been able to locate "Ossan's Love Returns Spin-off Drama: Haruta to Maki no Shinkon Shoya". Could you help me? Thank you.

Understood. Thanks, once again, for the suggestion. I will take it in count.

Thanks for the suggestion. When you say if you could write in paragraphs, I imagine you mean that it is not in the form of questions. You can't imagine the power that questions or questions give to a text or to verbal communication itself.

Dream decided not to tell him that they kissed and were about to have sex for the reasons stated above. Night was drunk. Night is unsure of his feelings. Night is vulnerable in those drunken moments. If Dream had confessed what had happened, he would be pressuring Night to make a decision, or causing a breakup of their friendship because Night was not aware of what he was doing, while Dream could have prevented them from consummating sex or preventing kisses and he did not do so. . This is how it could be seen by Night. Dream doesn't know how Night would react if he found out what happened or what almost happened. The kissing scene only provides or confirms information to us as the audience: Dream loves Night. Night is confused. In a moment of drunkenness he believes he loves Dream, but when he is sober he is not consistent with these feelings.
Dream making the decision to separate from Night not only hurts Night. Dream hurts himself by distancing himself from the person he loves. His attitude is brave. He is capable of not pursuing his own happiness and seeking the happiness of others.
Namwan is in love. She has no obstacles to confessing her love to a man, while there are obstacles for Night and Dream to confess their love. In an underlying way, because history does not tell us, but these obstacles and prohibitions are tangible. What do I mean by this? They (all of us, 100 percent of Humanity) live under heteronormativity, that is, the social, political and economic regime imposed by patriarchy, which extends both within the public and private spheres. According to this regime, the only acceptable and normal form of expression of sexual and emotional desires, as well as one's own identity, is heterosexuality, which presupposes that the masculine and the feminine are substantially complementary with regard to desire. This means that both sexual preferences and the roles and relationships established between individuals within society must be based on the 'male-female' binary, with 'biological sex' always having to coincide with identity. of gender and the desires socially assigned to it.
In this sense, all those behaviors, preferences and identities that transgress the regime and are outside of it - as is the case of lesbian women, gay men, transsexual and transgender people - occupy a marginal situation within the heteronormative system and Therefore, they are discriminated against, made invisible and persecuted through different mechanisms. These mechanisms are institutionalized in the form of laws, sanctions, medical and religious guidelines, etc., and are socially internalized in the form of habits, practices and social norms that are so widespread that they are considered natural.
On the other hand, we cannot ignore that homosexuality is illegal in Thailand. Gay marriage, homosexual relationships, are not recognized in Thailand. Likewise, the Thai religion denies homosexual relationships. Night may be loving Dream, but this whole reality rises before him and hinders his decision making. Why do you think most BL characters, especially Thai ones, don't have family with whom they would have to be honest when coming out? Generally, the boys' parents have died in traffic accidents (thus eliminating both of them at once), father and mother are divorced and live in remote provinces, or live abroad. In this way, parents would not be questioning their children's sexual preferences, nor would they have to inform them of these preferences and expect approval or acceptance.

Hello. I think Dream was enjoying it. Nothing indicates to me that he would stop Night or himself from having sex. This was interrupted with the arrival of Namwan. The rest would be pure speculation. At one point I thought Night might be pretending not to remember anything, but why keep up the deception? What would I win? Why, when Dream tells him that he is cruel for not giving the girl an answer, does Night not tell him that he is not in love with her and is in love with him?
There is no element that confirms that “he neither loves nor likes Namwan.” Not being sure of his feelings, not wanting to cut her out of his life, he hasn't closed that door. She is his friend, and he is afraid of hurting her. He has given the girl hope by not having a definitive, concrete answer. And she then feels she has the right to demand that Night give her an answer. In my opinion, in the last 5 years there has been no bond between Night and Namwan beyond the friendly, classmate relationship. That's why Namwan has escalated his attempts to confirm Night's feelings. Night is discovering himself in this long, thorny, tortuous process. He doesn't have the answers to your own questions about who am I? What I wish? He met Dream again after years of not seeing each other and looks for him every chance he can. Enjoy being with him. Even his classmate notices it. This is where the meticulous work of a good writer reveals the process of self-discovery in which Night struggles. Night lives a bloody war inside.
Dream has not been a coward. He disappeared for 5 years from Night's life because he loves him and perceives his suffering. Dream sees what others fail to see. Dream understands that her friend loves her friend and how he is insecure about his feelings, about his true “self.” By forcing things and confessing his love to Night, Dream runs the risk of losing his friend and hurting his friend as well. That's why he decided to stay away from him.
Rather than “openly supporting Namwan's search for Night,” I consider him to be pressuring Night to define his feelings. Dream suffers, but understands that her friend also suffers to the point of asking her to help her to “convince” Night. She ignores or prefers not to see what happens between the two boys. Like I said, act like a woman in love. What position then would Dream take in that situation? How to be judge and party? In a love triangle, someone will always get hurt, but everyone involved. Only this situation will be resolved when Night, Namwan and Dream's love interest, clarifies her feelings, definitively understands which of the two she loves. Then you will be free to apologize to the person you don't love, heal wounds, and want to continue the friendship.

Nothing should have happened, on a sentimental, loving or sexual level, between Namwan and Night. If something had happened, the series should have given us at least some clue. We have been getting to know the characters. Namwvn loves Nighh. Dream loves Night. Night is not clear about his feelings. We are facing a BL. The romance is supposed to be between Night and Dream. You just need to discover your true feelings first.
On the other hand, in matters of love I do not think it is correct to talk about "what one person owes or does not owe" to another.

Night needs to be clear with himself first. When you get it, when you discover who you love, everything else will fall into place.

What does Dr. Chalothorn do in the middle of a police investigation? Is he perhaps a forensic doctor? Is he a psychologist recognized by the Thai Police to collaborate in their police investigations? Doesn't Phaya and Tharn's investigation team have forensic doctors, psychologists and other specialists? Where are they? How to deliver the moment of the first statements of a criminal or suspect to a civilian who happened to be present at the scene? Because she treated him like her patient in the past? The doctor induced Mr. Art to give answers. Are the members of the police investigation team not able to understand what the doctor is doing? Was any statement obtained from the suspect? Or were Chalothorn's words repeated by the suspect? How many protocols have been broken? Creators of the series, do you believe that there are no thinking beings next to the screen? Are we to believe that this is how the Thai Police work? "Everything will be fine. Do not be afraid. I'll be by your side. I'm going to protect you. Nothing is going to happen to you…no one will hurt you. I promise"? What's that? Does the doctor break medical ethics and the principle of doctor-patient confidentiality and shout from the rooftops that he treated Mr. Art for Hysteria or somatization disorder and why he abandoned the treatment? If the doctor recognizes that he treated Art for Hysteria, that is, for the pathology in which the person has a chronic preoccupation with physical symptoms that have no identifiable origin and that is why he visits all types of medical specialists to find a cure for his ailment physical that cannot be detected, how is it that when handing over Art's file the doctor claims that your patient is unable to manage anger, suffers from anxiety, and has trouble controlling his or her behaviors? Don't the creators realize that one disease has nothing to do with the other, both recognized indiscriminately by universal medical literature, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the Americans Psychiatric Association? Isn't it true that even when forced by court order, doctors resist opening files and records to provide data on their patients? Do Thongthai and Khem reveal confidential information about the investigation to the doctor? Was the doctor given the necessary credentials to participate in the research? Isn't it true that moments before the captain asked the doctor exclusively to participate in the interrogation to see his behavior? And then the doctor, at Phaya's words, is going to say “you also used to experience something like this because you are unable to control yourself”? Does he know all this because Tharn told him or does he suspect it? Is Phaya the one who has to ask Tharn for forgiveness? For hitting the doctor? Whether Tharn's actions in revealing Phaya's personal information to the doctor are much more questionable. While discussing the criminal case, do you air personal or relationship problems? And to all these... who murdered Kao?

Many say they are upset that Namwan insists on an answer from Night as to whether the two of them are friends or something more. They even go so far as to say that they are angry because he interrupted Night and Dream's intimate scene. I'm so glad she interrupted her. That is to say, making love, especially if it is the first time for a person and, especially if it is the first time between the two members of a couple who have been developing feelings, that is a sublime, unique, magical moment (the others too). That's why I'm glad Namwan interrupted him because Night was drunk and because he's not sure about his feelings. If Night was sure of his love for Dream, why hasn't he been honest with Namwan? Why does he also keep Dream in anxiety? Not even Night remembered what happened the next day. They will both have the ideal moment to give themselves to each other with passion and declared love. On the other hand, Namwan is in love. She is acting like a woman in love. I think we can't even blame the awkward situation on Night for giving Namwan false hope, for not being honest with her. Night is NOT yet clear about his feelings. Night doesn't want either of them out of her life. Do you have feelings for both of them? Do you love one of the two and see the other only as a friend? The time will come when Nick will clarify which of the two of them those feelings are deeper and more intense, real, true. His lack of clarity has now caused Dream to also have illusions. Dream accepted his kisses and was about to have sex (I say sex, not make love) with Night. Dream acts ethically, as he knows about his friend's feelings for Night. Dream took constant steps to the side waiting for Night to be the one to clarify his feelings, but he also loves him and has not been able to get rid of his emotions by having him close and being able to kiss him. The whole situation will be resolved when Dream threatens to disappear from Night's life again. Unable to even bear the thought of Dream not being present in his life, Night will push him to clarify his doubts.

A modest study about friendship giving way to love, and how second chances exist and we must foster them.

We have seen this simple story countless times. But something drives me every week to follow it. Their honest performances and what is around the protagonists create a love story.