British Gay Magazine With New Thai EditionAttitude you needBy Manta Klangboonkrong
THE NATION
2011-03-08GMM Inter gives the popular British gay magazine new latitude with a Thai edition
If you believe "you are what you read", tomorฌrow is the perfect time for all gay people to come out of the closet and tell the world who you are - the Thai edition of gay magazine Attitude is making its debut.The British magazine has for 16 years been a favourite among gay readers around the world for its lifestyle and entertainment features, tongueincheek fashion commentary and, most of all, for its rich social and political content.
Attitude has steadfastly remained open to both negative and positive views on homosexuality, as expressed by both gay and straight contributors. Now it has its first foreignlanguage version.
The Thai edition is the latest revamp from GMM Inter Publishing, which also produces the localised Madame Figaro and Her World for women and Maxim for the guys.
The 164page Thai edition is 70 per cent original British content, while the rest is all about local tastes and interests.
"We've waited two years to bring Attitude to Thailand, waiting for the economy to improve," says publisher and managing director Laikram Lerdvitayaprasit.
"We had quite a few international magazines in mind, but Attitude is the strongest in content and style, and it's a longestablished brand.
"We aim to celebrate gender diversity, not just sell a magazine to gay people," Laikram says. It won't be just selfpromotional pep talks for homosexuals.
"We know that when the magazine hits the shelf, we'll get both the extremely positive and negative responses, and we're prepared for that.
"Personally, I think it's worth the risk. There's been enough humiliating discrimination toward gays, and we hope with this little step we're taking, Thai society will eventually embrace its longexisting gender diversity with understanding and with less discrimฌination - or, ideally, none."
Have gay Thais had nothing local to read until now? In fact, they've had quite a few magazines for some time, but these publications are typiฌcally marketed as women's magazines - a safe strategy in our don'taskdon'ttell society.
Attitude, however, lives up to its title in presenting the fact of homosexuality. However well read it becomes, its very presence ought to help get the message out that gay people deserve the same basic rights as everyone else.
Laikram would love to see straight people read his gay magazine or any other once in a while to better understand the way of life and the issues it entails. Gays are, after all, their neighbours and countrymen.
Is the gay life really that much different that it warrants specialised magazines? "Yes and no," says editor Thawatchai Deepattana.
"Sophisticated gay people are the same as their straight counterparts - they like to eat out, go to trendy places, dress well and keep up to date. But each gender has slightly different needs and interests, such as mental and physical health, social environments, and even relaฌtionships and dating.
"And we've had magazines for straight men and women, so why not a magazine for gays?"
Thawatchai heads a fourmemฌber editorial team, all gay and all experienced and prolific writers on lifestyle. They're happy to consider contributions from other writers, straight or gay, that will give readers a wider and more diverse perspective.
What you won't find in Attitude is beefcake: those photos of toned guys showing off their physique that are typical of many gay magazines.
Attitude's UK edition has had an eclectic crowd of celebrities on its cover, including Christina Aguilera, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams, and they're not always entertainers - or gay - as former Prime Minister Tony Blair showed.
It remains to be seen who will grace the front of Attitude Thailand, but regardless, having a copy in your living room will make it a more welcoming place.Readers ready"This is the perfect time for a gay magazine," says Tisha "Misty" Chaiworasilp, who runs the entertainment and lifestyle website Poppaganda.net. "Society is more open, the younger generation is more aware of gender diversity and gay people are now more actively pursuing better lifestyles.
"I've always been a fan of Attitude and even tried to make homemade versions of it, with Male and Chaps. I tried to break away from the usual nudity and arousing pictures and offered more lifestyle content, but gays didn't care at the time - they just wanted nudity.
"Now, with the Internet, pornography is easy to find, so people are instead looking for substantial, quality features and proper magazines," says Misty, who's launching a gay website,
www.PopHomme.com, in early April.
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"Years back," says Paris Atirekanond, a senior adviser at the forthcoming GSpace Television, "gay magazines were just porn, with maybe some sexhealth sections or erotic short stories. When you bought them they'd be wrapped in brown paper - which ironically just showed you had something illegitiฌmate.
"They were absolutely shameful to have in your possession, even for a highprofile gay, and most of the time they got passed around among friends and then ended up in a dumpster.
"I'm glad that finally there's a gay magazine that we can purchase out in the open and not in shame."
GSpace is a sixhour daily gay lifestyle programme comฌing to satellite Channel 10 in May.
"Gay people have never felt welcome in the general comฌmunity or appreciated for whatever good they do - just because they're gay," says Cyber Fish Media producer and director Vipaya Saengaroon. "Verbal abuse, discrimiฌnation and prejudice are everywhere, even though some people choose to look the other way.
"It's all because of a lack of understanding that being gay is not a crime, that in fact it's normal. Gays can't expect full rights or samesex marriage as long as the majority of peoฌple still treat homosexuality like a disease.
"An aboveground gay magฌazine will help ease the misฌconceptions and normalise homosexuality."
Vipaya produces the show "Pink Mango", which airs on Mango TV every Saturday from 11pm to 1am. lip service
- Both the British and Thai editions are online at www.AttitudeThailand.com and Attitude.co.uk.
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