Poster "The Last Song" (1985) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
The root of diversity
Most Thai people believe that the first Thai film that features LBGTQ characters is The Last Song (1985). In fact, Thai films had portrayed and suggested the presence of LGBTQ characters since the 1920s.
The Last Song (1985) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Before "The Last Song"
Before The Last Song, over 40 Thai films featured LBGTQ characters, both in negative and positive light. Many were the products of their time, while later produced films have become more sensitive to the issue of gender diversity.
The Katoey Did It! (1954) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
LBGTQ characters was comic attraction
The oldest film featuring a "katoey" (a term used to broadly describing a non-straight person) in the collection of the Thai Film Archive is Katoey Pen Het (1954). In the film, the katoey is a fiancée of the leading man.
Bua Luang (1968) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Katoey?
Katoey is a term fraught with ambiguity. It is not necessarily derogatory. In many Thai films, it signifies characters whose sexual preferences differ from their biological makeup, such a in Bua Luang (1968).
Dreams Wedding (1971) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Trans characters
The presence of transsexual characters existed in Siam since the olden days, when court theater still allowed only female performers and women had to play male roles. In Thai cinema, trans characters are often portrayed as comical, aimed mainly to elicit laughter.
Like Dream (1976) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
(Wo)men
Male-to-female cross dressers are often portrayed as comical. But female-to-male cross dressers in Thai cinema often represent struggle for justice and vengeance, such as in Phra Ruang Khom Dam Din (1943), Muan Fan (1976), and Sua Phu Khao (1979).
Poster of Kung Nang (1976) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Social barriers
One of the Thai cinema's popular plot lines involves a character trying to overcome society's gender expectations. The films feature characters who are confused about their own sexual orientation and trying to define themselves according to societal norms.
Craza School Love (1985) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Normal or abnormal?
The gross misunderstanding that LGBTQ characters can be transformed to become "normal people" was popular for a while in Thai cinema. The "cure" often comes in the form of interaction with the opposite sex, such as in Narok Tarutao (1976), Sawasdee Khun Kroo (1978).
Wife Eater (1974)Thai Film Archive
LBGTQ characters as villains
For a time, LGBTQ characters are portrayed as aggressive villains who threaten the leading characters, sometimes with the label of "perversion" attached.
Katoey Did it! (1954) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
From our research, there are over 200 Thai films in the past six decades that feature LBGTQ characters.
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