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April '98:
Lesbians
in Thailand
Speak Out
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Sulayman X
Mardi Party
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Lesbofile
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Vol 1. No 7. April, 1998
Lesbofile
Jennifer Bliss
Lesbians have been in the news of late in the City of Angels. Anjaree's highly successful coming out in December certainly set tongues wagging in the media, and last month Metro magazine published a feature on lesbians in Thailand.
Anjana Suvarnananda, the public face of the national lesbian group, commented on the response to the ground-breaking conference: "We couldn't have done this a few years ago, got funding, or got people like Dr Yongyuth Wongpiromsan or Khunying Amphorn Meesook to speak to experts, NGOs and the media. The reaction has been quite positive."
Taking the ball and running with it is was the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand who hosted a discussion in March on lesbian issues. (See story page 1.) The hilarious Ellen coming out episode was screened with Thai sub-titles, a first for the Kingdom, along with excerpts from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade - loved those marching Xena Warrior Princesses!
The prize for the most bizarre question goes to the middle-aged farang man who approached me after the discussion and asked whether lesbians have a commercial sex scene like the guys have in Bangkok. We don't. It's not just a matter of economics: the demand just isn't there. Does this show that men and women are fundamentally different in their sexuality?
Attention girls! Bangkok has a new lesbian venue. At The Time pub and restaurant located at 81 Phahon Yothin Soi 7 (Aree), is open daily from 6pm-2am. Tel 617-1133. Live music. Young crowd. Check it out.
Utopia Cafe is still open daily until late for eats and drinks and on Friday nights has live music and readings. Call 679-4683 to volunteer your performance skills. All welcome.
With so many lesbians deciding to have babies these days, it's becoming almost, well, normal, to be a lesbian mother. Star of many a lesbian's fantasies, Jodie Foster, announced last month that she is pregnant with her first child.
"Yes, I'm pregnant. I couldn't be happier," said the 35-year-old actress, film director and producer. "But no, I'm not going to discuss the father, the method or anything of that nature."
The two-time Oscar winner, long rumoured to be a lesbian, would only say that she expected to be a single mother "just like I was raised myself" and that the baby was due in September. Foster has always refused to discuss her private life despite being named as a lesbian in a tacky book written by her brother Buddy.
Another famous lesbian who has embraced motherhood is Melissa Etheridge. We haven't heard much from her since her partner Julie Sypher gave birth last year. But she's due back soon with a new album and tour.
In a recent interview Melissa said, "I've had a great time, I've been close to my family and friends, and it's been really nice. But all of a sudden, I start thinking, 'Gosh, I remember touring.' There's no theme yet (to the album). I thought I'd be writing nursery rhymes. But I've found I still have the places in me that I write from. I still have the passionate parts of me, the dark parts are still there."
Rumour has it that Sandra Bernhard is pregnant, too. Refusing to confirm or deny the gossip, La Bernhard would only say, "Have you ever seen my tits this big?"
On a more serious note, the US Population Reference Bureau reports that almost 6,000 women each day were infected with HIV around the world last year, some lesbians. Please be safe.
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