Bangkok Pride Festival 2025: The first to be held after Thailand legalized same-sex marriage
Live from the Pride parade in Bangkok, the first to be held after Thailand legalized same-sex marriage earlier this year. The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
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The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
How trans woman activist A. Revathi uses theatre and literature to fight for Pride identity
When asked about the significance of Pride Month, Revathi said, 'Pride is not just a celebration — but a protest for survival, visibility and acceptance. From forced marriages to conversion therapy, queer people — especially those from working-class and rural backgrounds — fight to just exist without shame. We march to be seen, to affirm that our identities are not a disease or disorder.' Revathi published her first book in Tamil, Unarvum Uruvamum (Our Lives, Our Words) in 2004, followed by The Truth about Me: A Hijra Life Story, published first in English (translated by feminist historian V. Geetha) in 2010, which, a year later, was published in Tamil as Vellai Mozhi. This autobiography is now made into a play with the same name and was staged at Kulavai, a two-day festival held at Alliance Française in Chennai. Kulavai explored feminism, queerness and resistance in Tamil theatre. It also celebrated renowned theatre personality, A. Mangai's, four-decade journey in the field. It was amidst this that Revathi performed Vellai Mozhi to a packed audience. The play's power lies in Revathi's raw honesty, as she brings her life story to the stage by selecting deeply personal moments from her book — those that resonate with the audience. 'I use art — books, poetry, drama — to move hearts and spark a change,' she says. 'People must understand what I express. While some in the queer community reject sympathy, I see it as the first step. Sympathy can lead to support, and support can bring rights. Transforming society is not easy — it takes time, patience and persistence.' Revathi revisits painful chapters of her life, yet manages to convey queer joy to a largely cisgender, heterosexual audience. With wit and disarming honesty, she recalls the first night she slept in a woman's clothing — reflecting on the irony of how modesty demands women be fully covered, even when fully dressed. She ecstatically dances to film songs, celebrating a femininity once shamed and rejected by her family and society. LGBTQ+ activists often stress that joy is a survival strategy, not just a feeling — it is a refusal to be defined by pain alone. Her activism is grounded in the understanding that caste, class, religion, gender, sexuality, and ability overlap to shape people's experiences of discrimination or privilege. Revathi has consistently supported trans men and underprivileged cis-queer people, earning the love of the younger generation. In one scene, she highlights the public gaze transgender women endure — seen as a nuisance for begging, judged for their appearance, and denied respect in public. She flips the script, asking society: 'How dare you question us?' She exposes its brutal silence on child abuse, caste atrocities, honour killings, and acid attacks — crimes where those who speak out are often silenced or killed. Young queer people today worry about aging, haunted by fears of loneliness, lack of traditional support, healthcare discrimination and legal or emotional insecurity. In a society obsessed with heteronormative ideals like marriage, LGBTQ+ people often feel anxious about not finding a partner. Revathi shares a painful truth: parents do not always understand these struggles. Many push their children into lavender marriages to have children for society's sake. But, she reminds us, no child — biological or adopted — owes care to their parents in old age. Though she lovingly adopted her brother's children, now with families of their own, she refuses to rely on them for support. At 60, she lives independently, determined not to be a burden.' 'A partner should be for true companionship,' she says. 'Love can come from parents, friends, or even adopted children — connection is not limited to romantic relationships.' Her message to the youth: 'Education is key — studying and getting a job brings happiness and respect beyond sexuality or gender identity. Through work and social service, you can build supportive communities of friends and a chosen family. Do not limit yourself to work and education —nurture your talents, find creative outlets to keep your mind and spirit alive.' 'If I had let depression stop me, I would never have written the books that now reach so many students across universities. I may not know English, but I still stand in classrooms, share my story and fight for queer rights — because I refused to give up,' says Revathi, who was recently honored by Columbia University's 'Butler Banner Project', with her name displayed alongside iconic women writers, challenging the male-dominated façade of Butler Library and promoting inclusion in academic spaces. In a time when transgender rights are under attack and identities are being erased by those in power around the world, voices like Revathi's offer hope, strength and visibility to a community fighting to survive and be heard.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Miley Cyrus makes closet joke on JoJo Siwa amid her new relationship with Chris Hughes
Singer and actor Miley Cyrus made a joke about bringing JoJo Siwa 'back out' of the closet after the latter announced a new unexpected relationship with Chris Hughes . Siwa's relationship with Hughes has grabbed headlines in the last few months as she continues to stay in the UK with her new lover. Cyrus, in a video message filmed inside the closet during Pride Month celebration, said that she has not been here since sixth grade. 'Oh, my God, I haven't been in here since sixth grade,' she said. In the video message which is doing the rounds on social media, the Hannah Montana actor said, 'Enjoy coming out of the closet if this Pride is the time for you. It shouldn't be a month — it should be a year, it should be infinite'. Cyrus concluded her message by referencing Siwa, 22. 'I'm going back inside to get more pretzels and find JoJo Siwa and bring her back out,' she said. Chris Hughes-Jojo Siwa relationship Live Events Siwa recently announced her relationship with Hughes, 32 following their meeting on the U.K. edition of Celebrity Big Brother in April, 2025. During her time on the reality show, Siwa claimed that she discovered more about her sexual identity. Speaking during the show, she said, 'I've always told myself I'm a lesbian, but I think you — I think being here, I've realized, 'Oh no, I'm not a lesbian, I'm queer,'' as reported by US Weekly. Siwa parted ways with her then-partner Kath Ebbs after leaving the Big Brother house. The 'Karma' singer and Hughes sparked speculation that they were involved romantically after developing a close relationship on the reality show. In June 2025, Hughes shared a selfie via Snapchat in which he and Siwa were seen together in bed. The next day, Siwa confirmed that she and Hughes are dating after initially describing their relationship as 'platonic.' Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
How much glitter does your make up have?
A palpable excitement has overtaken me. Later today, I will be attending my first ever drag performance in Chennai. The participants and organisers (Sunshine House) that has curated the event, have promised a line-up that reeks of splendour. My first tryst with drag queens was during a trip to London at Peckham, a mostly Black neighbourhood. In their stunning make-up, up-dos, and shiny clothes, they found ways to playfully tease every table. The night ended with hugs and selfies with the performers. I went back home to read about what I had witnessed. It turns out that anyone can perform in wonderful clothes that often challenge the heteronormative idea of gender. Who is a woman? What is feminine? And who has the right to ask anyone else to dress a certain way? Purple, one of the curators of Affections, an art event held every month at Backyard, a cafe, says that the drag show was part of Pride month's line-up, so that people in this city I call home, can be open and free, despite the several constraints of their day. 'We make an effort to ensure that our space is chill, and members of the queer community can share a laugh,' they say. During their monthly meetings (they have held 11 to date), a make-up station is set up for an all-out glitter party. 'Those who cannot wear make-up at home because of what their parents or society have to say, can come here and dress up. It is a safe space, and I tend to volunteer to dress them up,' they say. At the end of the event, participants and visitors are often doused in a healthy amount of colour and shine. Devam Shivam, non-binary drag artist and a Chennai resident, has performed at small events in the city and elsewhere in India. This time, he gets access to a full stage. There are also three prizes to claim, a rarity in Chennai, especially since the queer community in the city is being actively doxxed online. Last year's Pride march seemed like a fortress with hundreds of police personnel in khaki, matching half the strength of the participants. Shivam, in his excitement, has been picking outfits all week. Pritha Bhattacharya, who is going to be in drag for the first time, has already been in conversation with Shivam regarding their look for the event. 'It was the drag queens who were an instrumental part of the Stonewall rebellion,' they say. The Stonewall rebellion, on June 28, 1969, in New York, was the beginning of a six-day period of clashes between LGBTQIA+ people and the police. It was the beginning of activism for these communities. As for me, see you on the other side of drag, covered in glitter. Happy Pride month, you guys! Wordsworth Gender neutrality Recently, the Jawaharlal Nehru University decided to replace the term 'Kulpati' for the more inclusive 'Kulguru' to refer to its Vice-Chancellor on academic documents. Pati in Hindi means husband, while guru means teacher. With people across the gender spectrum occupying positions of power, it only means that conventional usage of terms like 'sportsman' and 'chairman' are now taking on its more gender-neutral usage: 'sportsperson' and 'chairperson'. Toolkit The Gender and Policy Lab team along with the Greater Chennai Corporation released a Chennai-specific manual with gender inclusive guidelines for urban infrastructure design to enable women's access to public spaces on July 6. The document recognises that public spaces are experienced differently by women, girls, transgender and non-binary people, due to reasons as diverse as safety, mobility patterns, caregiving responsibilities, and social norms. In this 280-page manual, created after several surveys, discussions, and spatial audits, are design solutions for problems of our everyday life at parks, beaches, bus stops, markets, toilets and shelters for the urban homeless. While the physical copy is out, the PDF will be up on the GCC website. Kaliyug aa gaya hai. I don't know what is happening to these young Indian women nowadays. Instead of being good wives, they often create hell for their husbands. Excerpt from a longer post on X by former Supreme Court of India judge, Markandey Katju Women we meet Harris Karishma, 17, is the only woman palm tree climber in Villupuram district. In a video, which now has over 20 lakh views, Karishma puts on the harness that generations of palm tree climbers and toddy tappers have used, around her waist and feet. Within minutes, she is halfway up the trunk. Karishma can climb a tree, harvest ice apples (the fruit of the palm), tap toddy and padaneer, and aid in the process of making palm jaggery. Her assent of the tree is a form of protest, against the Tamil Nadu government that has chosen to prevent the legalisation of toddy in the State, despite the palmyra being the State tree. 'After seeing me climb the tree, other youth, particularly boys, have begun climbing. Someone needs to make videos about the palm tree,' she says.
