Latest news with #MyPride
Bangkok Post
07-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Embracing inclusivity
To create global recognition and stimulate the economy in both the business sector and tourism in urban areas, the campaign My Pride Thailand was launched recently. In a collaboration between the Creative Economy Agency (CEA), Creative Industry and Soft Power Institute (CISPI), Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and Pink Blue Black & Orange (PBB&O), My Pride Thailand presents diversity in uniquely Thai aspects through 50 graphic characters. The campaign uses bright and varied colours to reflect the concept of "we are all inclusive" and the charm of Thainess. It conveys that everyone is worthwhile, equal and proud of being Thai. Designing characters requires creativity and visual storytelling which are highly specialised skills. However, My Pride Thailand allows companies from all industries to use these 50 graphic characters in their products, services and activities to provide opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to benefit. There is a price for using the MY Pride CI (campaign identity), but it is offered at a special deal. For example, entrepreneurs who use My Pride CI as part of products that have a total commercial value between 50,001 and 500,000 baht will be charged 2,000 baht. Meanwhile, the charge for its use in products with a total commercial value between 500,001 and 1,000,000 baht will be 20,000 baht and 50,000 baht for products with a total commercial value 1,000,001 baht or more. The campaign My Pride Thailand was launched during Bangkok Pride which celebrates and promotes diversity, equality, and LGBTI rights. Siam Attariya, design director of PBB&O, revealed that My Pride Thailand was developed from a campaign for LGBTI during Pride month. "Though the campaign was initially designed for Pride Month, the CEA and CISPI aimed to promote the characters in various commercial products that targeted tourists. After we heard the idea, we thought that the character design should not be limited to only the LGBTI community because the number of LGBTI people is less than straight people," said Siam. "We later discussed the idea of the campaign with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The BMA commented that the campaign has potential and can be used continuously in the long term because the concept involves what Thai people are proud of. The campaign can be developed for other events such as My Pride Songkran, My Pride Loy Krathong and My Pride Thai Cuisine." Due to the short deadline, every designer and intern at PBB&O and many outsourced designers were involved in the campaign. The design of the 50 characters was developed from the style of Watoosiri Jansin, the lead illustrator of the campaign. "My Pride illustrates typical characteristics of Thais such as easy-going, fictive kinship, fun-loving and acceptant. We focused on characteristics of Thai people rather than well-known culture such as muay Thai, temples or Songkran because these characteristics cannot be replaced. My Pride reflects that Thai people have self-respect and are proud of themselves. Since they respect themselves, they can embrace differences of other people," explained Siam. As the design director, Siam explained that he wanted characters with unique personalities, hairstyles and costumes that contrasted with society's stereotypes. Although the team wanted to create fun characters, they had to accept that people have a different sense of humour. "The clients did not approve a character in a Superman costume who looked like a political leader from a foreign country. They did not feel that it was funny. As a result, the hairstyle and appearance of that character was changed," said Siam. It is possible that launching 50 characters at the same time may confuse people and they may find it hard to recognise all of them. Chakrit Pichyangkul, executive director of the CEA, explained that since there are many companies, if they created only one character, it would not tailor to their needs. "There must be enough characters so that different industries can pick and choose characters that appeal to them and are appropriate for their products. Though each character is different, they all have the same theme such as Thainess, pop art and contemporary features. The characters are not traditional but are modern and have international appeal because we also aim to connect the characters on a global level," said Chakrit. "I am confident there will be three characters that will be popular. Though I want all the characters to be recognisable, we in the business know that there will be only two or three favourite characters." In addition to the 50 graphic characters, My Pride Line stickers inspired by characters in Thai literature are now available. The BTS Skytrain also issued 220,000 one day pass tickets featuring My Pride characters in June. At the press conference of My Pride Thailand campaign, Moreloop, a company which specialises in upcycling surplus fabrics from the fashion industry, offered DIY tote bags and T-shirts screened with My Pride characters. Thamonwan Virodchaiyan, co-founder of Moreloop, said having 50 characters is good because people have different characters. "The more characters they have, the better they can communicate. I felt excited to see designers create characters from different perspectives and dimensions. This month, Moreloop will create tote bags and T-shirts with My Pride Thailand characters. People can check them out on Moreloop Facebook." To develop the campaign further, Siam said that two or three characters would be selected to convey certain issues. "There is a character, Nabito, inspired by the famous character in the Japanese manga Doraemon, which reflects Thai people's easy-going nature and lax attitude in conforming to rules and regulations. Another character is a young angel. This character was created because many Thai people tend to pray for good fortune," said Siam. "Since angles cannot fulfil everyone's wish, Thai people should learn to rely on themselves and work hard. We hope to provide some value or change attitudes through these characters. The convincing message should be fun, non-threatening or non-serious. However, without a budget, PBB&O cannot push any further movement. I hope a government organisation will take this on." Chakrit hopes that entrepreneurs will contact the CEA or CISPI if they want to use My Pride CI to create value for their products and service. Then, the FTI will be the centre of communication with the industrial sector because they understand what industries need. Siam said he is glad that the campaign is opening the way for a system of sharing benefits.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Who needs Twitter when a queer woman just created a social app for the LGBTQ+ community?
Finding ways to connect and hold onto queer joy is tricky in 2025, and while you may think another app is the last thing you need to accomplish this, J. Zakira Wise thinks technology may be the key to bringing LGBTQ+ people together. On May 14, Wise launched MyPride, a LGBTQ+ community-driven app built by and for queer people to connect people to mutual aid, local events, and 'meaningful social connection during Pride Month and beyond.' Think Bluesky, but with ways to connect you to events and organizations that matter to queer people. The combination of giving birth to her first child and the changing political landscape that has particularly impacted queer youth, led Wise to create MyPride, a LGBTQ+ community-driven app built by and for queer people to connect people to mutual aid, local events, and meaningful social connection, not just during Pride Month, but all year round. 'Given the current political climate, I wanted to create a digital community space for people to share queer joy, news, resources, and events,' Wise tells PRIDE. 'As the major platforms roll back protections for the LGBTQ+ community, it feels more important than ever to have a social space built by us and for us.' Courtesy of J. Zakira Wise MyPride Back in 2019, Wise created Mesh, a company that creates custom social networks, but by the time the end of 2024 had rolled around she was no longer satisfied and wanted to 'focus full time to support the LGBTQ+ community.' MyPride was born from one queer woman's desire to use the technology she had already created for Mesh to provide tools for organizers to find, build, and grow their communities. On the MyPride app, users can join private or public groups based on shared interests, identities, or location, discover everything from Pride Month festivals to educational workshops in their area, get a curated and verified news feed with timely updates on issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, and get crucial access to health, advocacy, and educational resources. And unlike X (formerly Twitter), the social app is committed to content moderation and safety. Members are even given tools to report hateful content or accounts, control who sees their content, and managed who can join their groups and events. "My hope is that MyPride will become the digital hub for queer people and organizations to connect with each other, share news impacting their local communities, and celebrate their Pride,' Wise says. MyPride is available now for free on iOS and Android devices.
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Indian Express
Panchkula: To make city safer for women, police deploy female cops at 58 hotspots and 9 bus routes
In a bid to prioritise women's safety, Panchkula Police Commissioner Sibash Kabiraj has ordered the deployment of female police personnel at all 58 identified hotspots and on nine major bus routes across the district. The directive came during a high-level crime control and law enforcement review meeting held on Friday at the Commissioner's office in Mansa Devi Complex. The meeting was attended by DCP Panchkula Himadri Kaushik, DCP Crime and Traffic Amit Dahiya, all ACPs, Crime Branch in-charges, traffic officers, and officials from various police departments. The agenda focused on improving crime prevention strategies, strengthening law and order, boosting women's security, and intensifying anti-drug efforts. Kabiraj stressed that complaints must be acted upon within 15 days, and complainant feedback will be used to evaluate officers' performance. SHOs were instructed to take personal responsibility for every case under their jurisdiction. In addition to bolstering women's safety, the Commissioner ordered the four law and order companies — Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta — to stay fully alert with anti-riot gear and receive regular training. Special deployment of tear gas-trained units and SWAT teams will be ensured. To support victims of crimes against women, especially under the POCSO Act, female officers at the inspector level will provide counseling from the initial stage of the investigation. Feedback from the victim will be actively monitored. Emphasising modern policing, Kabiraj highlighted that smart work, alongside dedicated effort, is essential to effective crime control. He also issued orders for increased patrolling, strict vigilance on extortionists, monitoring of bail jumpers, and a crackdown on repeat offenders. Meanwhile, under the campaign 'Drug-Free and Violence-Free – My Village, My Pride', the Commissioner directed police to identify drug addicts, provide counseling and medical help, and intensify operations against drug peddlers in all marked hotspots. Further, police have been tasked with reducing incidents of vehicle theft and snatching through focused strategies and timely action. Officers and personnel have been warned of strict consequences for any lapses in implementing these directive
