Bobbie Davies

Marijuana, ganja, gakyo (not sure of the anglicized spelling), has been used extensively in Thailand for many many moons by Thais and the Farang who love them. Hence short term profits from criminalization and focusing on the Farang and entertainment industry users. Those profits are of course eaten away by imprisonment. Now there is the possibility of a new national income driver the ganja. Of course they will legalize. Surrounding countries are severe in penalizing the use. Poach tourists. It is a multi-billion dollar money making machine in those countries, and states in the US that have legalized or at least decriminalized its use. I have no problem with it and have always been kept supplied by my manfriend s mom when I go there. Hell I even have online gakyo parties with my manfriend and his friends. Me with my electric vape pen and them with their weed and tobacco mixed cigarettes. There are legitimate medical uses of marijuana and they want to use that. They also are being realistic that if they open it up to large scale production people will want in on the action. What’s wrong with that?

Maybe some people don’t feel fear for whatever reason, and to be honest I don’t fear what might be out there. I’m like you KhunLA, Bring it if you’ve got it. I’m 55, 235 lbs., 6’2, retired, Own 2 houses in the United States and bought my manfriend (soon to be husband I hope) his house in Udon Thani. What do I have to lose to them. The study, such as it is is saying that only 40% of LGBTQI+ feel the fear. It is also a limited number of responses from a limited number of countries. That means 60% can shrug it off for whatever reason. Only saying potential for danger is real. You acknowledge that in your responses. Even with different ways of dealing with it. But how many of those 40% are in our positions? I’m simply saying threats should be cut off at the knees.

Speaking of the rams. Were you aware that several years ago a study was started in in the US in Oregon rams to try to find the cause for their homosexuality? The study was not to prove that homosexuality might have a genetic base. It was to try to find a way to identify and then REMOVE those genetic markers and tendencies in sheep. The doctor tried to worm out of it, but I knew him and that was his motivation. About the monkey pox. Monkey pox was discovered in 1958. There have been several outbreaks since then. Some outbreaks happen when animals are shipped out of Africa, some have happened in people traveling, this time it was a few gay men who took it out of Africa. The outbreak is not limited to gay men in Africa. There is no message to take from it than “oops we did it again”. To equate the disease with gay men generally is ignorance. No not just ignorance, willful ignorance.

The concern about safety could be problematic. True moderators can’t catch everything. I think just the word “safety” might be a misnomer. If you are potentially being driven to suicide is that a “safety” issue? No they didn’t leap out of the screen and bludgeon you with a lead pipe. But they may have made you feel insecure. Plus many friends Facebook (or other media sites) could be actual people you know. Even those who aren’t friends who just see your page and do some response. A fear factor definitely comes into it when they are anonymous. What if they are people you know and they are hiding behind anonymity? What if they really want to harm you or make life difficult for you? What if you are, in your real life potentially in danger for being homosexual and these people do postings that even if you erase them could promulgate all over the place, essentially outing you? Yes you are right that no one has to use social platforms, but what if that is their only real socialization possibility with other gays? Palestine, other Middle East countries, and China come to mind. What people say online can and does have real-life consequences. As an example: I had a young man staying with me when his mother abandoned him while he was still in High School. One day there was a knocking on the door. It was the police. A friend of his in real life (who was accused of a crime) was tracked through social media as having at some time posted to this young man. They came to the door with copies of his Facebook stuff and wanted to question him about the whereabouts of his friend. They told me and the young man the crime his friend was accused of and wanted to take the young man to the police station for questioning. It was a scary situation. Just because WE think we are anonymous does not necessarily mean we are. People may actually know who you are and they may have the desire and means to hurt you physically, mentally, financially. What they post could be a shot over the bow and if they are not stopped it could be worse.

Lots of good information about Thai ID. But the reality is you will never, never, never get “free” Thai medical care based on citizenship. Two problems. One you are not a Thai citizen (Thai ID card or Drivers License) does not equal Thai citizenship) and two as an alternate you (I assume) have never worked in Thailand and paid taxes into the Social Security system. Visa for marriage does not include an ability to work. That is the reason they require proof of insurance and 400,000 Baht in the bank + proof of monthly income. This shows you will not become a “ public charge”. You will pay far less for medical services in Thailand generally. Even Thai citizens who are second class citizens cannot get the Thai medical. I have a friend that has been Thai his whole life but family waaaaaay back (several generations) came from Laos (this is a weakness in the Thai system) He can access the Social Security version but does not qualify for the Thai citizenship version. He wasn’t working at the time so I helped him pay his bills.

Don’t think it has to do with monkey pox in reality. It comes from Africa originally where it affects everyone and did not originate with gay men, nor does it affect gay men exclusively. At this current time (there have been many outbreaks of monkey pox over the years) the “suspect” vector is MSM because that is the population that is showing most at this time. However monkey pox is very easily spread by touch not sex, though in most cases sex does include touch. You read or hear about one study covering a very limited number of countries, interestingly not Africa that says that it is mostly affecting gay men this time around and it becomes a gay plague. Seriously? Does that mean Covid is a straightophile disease? I’m gay and have had neither. Nor do I place myself in situations where they are likely when warned of their presence. Diseases are not moral compasses and we do not catch them because we are gay or straight Safety. We catch them because we are stupid and self oriented and don’t want our personal desires to give way to reasonable precautions.

The previous being said. If your friend writes you a letter of invitation to visit with the relevant information that should work. Will need letter, Copy of national ID card, and copy of Tabien Bahn (of your friend). Much more complicated than run. You also do not want a denial of Visa record floating around, so if you know that you do not meet the qualifications it would not be recommended to even file for the Visa. Could look like gaming the system.

Sadly there is no “good news”. I would strongly recommend that you not say one place then cancel and go somewhere else. If you are caught you can get in trouble. People do it but they are taking a chance of invalidating their visa. That said, you can keep your paid reservations check in and “happen” to stay somewhere else on any given night or for a period of time. Obviously this would not work with financial constraints. Understand, at this time Thailand is discouraging “on the fly” planning, read backpackers. The VOA is about the only other game in town.

So according to my boyfriends sister who lives in Bangkok that bus is not running right now. She likes the casinos and Is not happy.

Buckle down for the ride. It’s going to explode. Too late to really worry about contact tracing. It’s out there now and has been creeping under the radar for too long.

Chances are that the nephew found out that he also could be charged with the incest. I think it is a possibility that the acts happened, but I also agree it may have been an attempted money grab after the fact. on topic. I believe that almost all countries have incest laws. You can tell by the legality of marriages. There is a consanguinity clause in most that tell you which relations cannot be legally married. In addition I have never seen an incest law that does distinguish between straight or gay incest. These laws are OLD and there was no thought of gay or straight when they were instituted. That said. For the record, there is an exception made in some States in the United States to incest laws and consanguinity in marriage. It’s a bit twisty but generally state that IF they are beyond child bearing years, and if a doctor can guarantee there is no possibility of issue, read children, then the state may at its discretion allow a marriage. Personally, I think that if it is between two consenting adults without the possibility of children, get out of my bedroom. That said research has been done on incest and potential attraction between siblings. Most, not all have no interest gay or straight. It has something to do with the sense of smell. It’s been several years since I read the studies. In a child (adult child)/parent relationship that same sense of smell comes into play is my understanding. There are of course exceptions, like when they are raised seperately. Legally though I think it is mostly a moral component saying that it is just wrong or unnatural. Another facet of the argument that says gay is wrong or that as humans we should restrain our sexual impulses as they are animalistic, and formulated by the same parties. For the record, not just pulling this out of my hat actually studied some of this stuff as I was a Sociology and Social Anthropology Major for my degree.

I’m putting this long post out there in the knowledge that it will probably bring out the trolls like white on rice. But I have not seen it comprehensively discussed, and I think it is very important. I’m gay and HIV positive. I am dating a gay man in Thailand 45 and only 10 years my junior. Have been for 3 years. He also is HIV positive. I was very upfront about my status from the beginning. He was not. This is very common in gay Thais. HIV is stigmatizing in Thailand and personal fear of stigmatization is even stronger than the actual deal which is pretty strong. I would argue that it is not just gay Thais but Thais in general that have a fear of stigmatization a s a “losing of face” (an extremely powerful force in Thailand) I do not judge my manfriend for his non-disclosure. He finally let me know 2 years and eight months into our relationship. I also semi dated and am current friends with 2 other Thai men who it turned out over time were also HIV positive. In the cases of all 3 only a VERY select number of people know their status. By very select I mean their mothers. My 2 friends have not disclosed to others including potential or current partners their status. The only reason I may be an exception in this disclosure is my own honesty and proven (over time) non-judgemental stance (as well as my being hooked into the latest treatments for HIV) and their desire for better medications. Remember their choices of treatment are limited by their income level. Just because the government gives them free or discounted HIV meds does not mean they are getting the best or most up-to-date treatments. Personally I am on Cabenuva, (Currently only available in the US and I believe UK) one shot every two months, non detectable. To be clear, I am not judging them they are simply being realistic from their viewpoint. This is also a country in which people see diseases in a moral light (bad Dharma). There is a high probability of losing family (literally kicked to the street), friends, jobs, and homes due to voluntary disclosure. I have a few reasons for this post: - To give a heads up to other Farang that your manfriend may not tell you his status. Always play safe period. - Such dishonesty is very common in Thailand and is meant to save face. Many times the external is more important than the internal for Thais. Kind of a “fake it till you make it” attitude. How you present yourself is viewed as an indicator of who you are inside. DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT pressure them for honesty, it just compounds the problem and you will never get an honest answer. They are not trying to give you HIV and would feel very bad If you contracted it, but they are also sure as hell not going to give you their life story or tell you about the most traumatic parts of their lives. The history of Farang in Thailand is not flattering and they will not even begin to truly trust you for at least 3 years and gone through good and bad with them. They are also subject to heavy and I mean HEAVY indoctrination from about 7 years old in absolute respect for status. Farang are very often seen of higher status than the farmboy from Isan. The very fact you could afford a ticket to Thailand shows that to them. Remember appearances. If you ask them for “Johnny without a jacket” they may play along because you have power over them and they may fear the consequences if they do not acquiesce. No payment, loss of Face for you or them, etc… - Those of us Farang who have HIV do not have to live our lives alone without someone to love. We also do not have to risk others’ lives to satisfy our own desires either. We need to be honest with our potential Thai partner. Those who are not seropositive need to still protect themselves and their potential partners by playing safe. If your Thai man is willing to have a relationship (beyond the simply commercial) with you after your honesty that may already answer any question you may have had. - This is also a cause of some Thai “boys” disappearing. They have HIV and do not want you or others to find out. For the record, the likelihood of disappearance increases with the original status of the Thai man. Most Middle Class and HiSo Thai men have a lot more invested in “Face” than that farmboy from Isan. The fact that you are Farang and not “White Asian” also plays into the equation but this post is just dealing with HIV. - Believe me not all Thai gay men have HIV, but there is an extremely large number who do. You need to decide if it is something you can live with before you ever begin to approach a Thai man for a relationship. You also need to be aware that THEY WILL NOT TELL YOU at the start of the relationship. No matter how much anyone might moan or bitch about it, it is simple fact. The choice between potentially and advantageously expanding their social circle or telling some butterfly their deepest and darkest, is a no brainer. Not gonna happen. They’re not going to tell you about previous relationships (unless they have a reason), they’re not going to tell you about a drug habit (unless you will supply them with drugs), they’re not going to tell you their life story, and they’re not going to tell you if they have HIV. Get over it or get gone. Think hard about this reality and always play safe.