Same Same NOT Different
The theme for this year’s Pride week is ‘Same same NOT different’
Men are different from women and children are different from adults. But we are all human beings and all deserve to have the same rights and be respected in the same way. Therefore, we are ‘Same same NOT different’.
Homophobia is rooted in the belief that Gay (LGBT) people are “different”, “alien” or “perverse”. This fear of being “different” and being seen as an outcast by society adds to the paranoia and even suicide of especially young people in accepting their sexuality and coming out to society.
“All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words.” – Harvey Milk
Many people are proud (phoomjai) to be Gay. But everyone should be able to be proud to be gay. This can be difficult when we are being treated as different. This year’s Pride theme hopes to help with this. It is interesting to note that other Asian countries like Cambodia have used similar themes for their Pride celebrations in the past. We believe that Pride week is a time when we can all unite and show people we are not different. We are human beings the same as them, and campaign to be treated as equal.
Far too many Thai people still think it is all right that they are (almost) at bottom of the picking order. This is also seen within their own families. We believe it is not until Thai society treats Gay people as same same, with same same rights, same same respect and not as different with different standards and lack of respect, that all Gay Thai people can be proud to be Gay.
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Some thoughts for us all to think about:
- “I am not different from others. I am human. I love, I like to kiss, and I like to do the same things like any other – I am NOT DIFFERENT”
- “I don’t want different laws. I do not want different taxation. I do not want different rights than others – so I am not different”
- “See me as equal, not different. See me as a friend, as a normal everyday person, and not just as a Gay.”
- “Here’s the thing about rights. They’re not supposed to be voted on. That’s why they call them rights”. Rachel Maddow.
- We are a part of the society and we ARE equal.
- We have to educate the ones who discriminate in DIVERSITY. In the theories that everybody is equal and we don’t want to have special rights or laws. So we can say we are same same.
- I love. You love. Same same.
- I love a boy. You love a girl. But we both love. So we are the same.
- I am gay and it’s ok.
- Since 2001, many countries including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland and Sweden and some sub-national jurisdictions (parts of Mexico and the United States) have begun to allow same-sex couples to marry.
