Chiang Mai PRIDE >>>>Mplus

Chiang Mai-based Mplus unveils its mission and ponders the challenges aheadBy: YANAPON MUSIKET and YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK Published: 26/03/2009 at 12:00 AM
If you see any kathoey on the street, just hit them all on the head."These brutal words still echo in Pongthorn Chanleun's ears. It has been one month since the violence erupted against a group of participants in the Chiang Mai Gay Pride parade, but every image and sound of hatred on that day remains vivid."It was the most terrifying moment. We were shocked at how people could be so narrow-minded and hateful," said Pongthorn, who served as president of the controversial gay parade and is project director of Mplus, the largest non-profit HIV/Aids organisation based in Chiang Mai."However, after all that happened, I still have faith in the generosity of Chiang Mai people. But what my staff and I learned that day is that prejudice and discrimination towards sexual minorities still exist strongly," he remarked.Besides hosting the controversial parade, Mplus is well-known among the gay community as an active organisation that focuses its work on men who have sex with men (MSM).Academically used for reference in the field of gender studies and human rights, the term "men who have sex with men", or "MSM" for short, is an inclusive public health term. Its definition simply describes a behaviour and includes self-identified gay, bisexual or even heterosexual men who may not consider themselves gay or bisexual."That is why we named our organisation Mplus," explained Pongthorn. "We are in charge of providing help to men of all types, regardless of their gender identity."Supported by UNAids - after reports of increased HIV/Aids prevalence among the MSM population in northern Thailand in 2004 - Mplus was officially established with less than 10 members, who mostly switched from other organisations to form the new group."Because the rising rate of HIV/Aids infection among MSM practitioners was considered critical, we were given the green light to start the organisation to support this particular group," said Pongthorn.According to a study in 2005, conducted by the Bureau of Epidemiology (BoE), Ministry of Public Health, and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, it was estimated that in Chiang Mai the prevalence of HIV among the MSM population was 15.3 percent, among transgenders (TG) 17.6 percent and for male sex workers (MSW) 11.4 percent.Pongthorn added that the number for transgenders has dropped by almost 1 percent, according to the latest survey in 2007, while the numbers for MSM and MSW have increased 1 and 4 percent respectively.In-depth information was offered by Mplus volunteer Arm (not his real name), 22, who revealed that when he was 18, his brother persuaded him to work in a massage parlour where illegal prostitution was discreetly conducted."Among the 30 male masseurs, only five were gay and the rest were straight," he noted, sharing his personal experience. "They were mostly ethnic migrants, I believe. Though many of them were married, they came to the city and got involved in this business because of the high pay that could help them support their families."After three years in the business, Arm confessed that it was only for the sake of money that he kept going. Last year, after being introduced to Mplus representatives who visited his workplace, Arm befriended the Mplus team and later decided to quit the job to volunteer at Mplus, where he still works today."The case of Arm is one of our inspiring stories," said Pongthorn. According to the survey, many male sex workers in Chiang Mai are members of ethnic minorities or illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries, their non-citizen status and the language barrier making them more vulnerable."Sex work is work. It is what one chooses to do for a living. Since we promote human rights, we are not judgemental in what these men do. All we can do is offer a helping hand, focusing on their health care and basic rights. To quit or not to quit, we leave it up to them."It has been almost five years that Mplus has been working with adults and young gays, transgenders and male sex workers in Chiang Mai to promote HIV/Aids awareness. Mplus staff and volunteers regularly recruit and conduct outreach programmes within Chiang Mai and the vicinity, from schools to gay bars, socialising with the target groups while offering the service of the organisation as much as possible.Outreach staff worker Jetsarit Inthawong revealed that before he became a full-time officer at Mplus, he was once among the target group."I used to be a banker in my home town, San Pa Tong," he recalled. "I came to the city very often to visit gay saunas. There I was approached by Mplus staff who told me there were free movies and general recreational activities with other gay men. Once I visited the office and talked to others, sharing my experiences and problems with them, I felt that this was the kind of place where I wanted to be."With strong determination, Jetsarit finally changed his career track to pursue his new life as a social worker. He set up a small group of Mplus volunteers in his home town, using his connections to recruit other gay men and transgenders in remote areas to have a chance to participate with Mplus."Many schools and educational institutions in the community are also our allies," said director Pongthorn.Thitiyanan Nakpor, 22, youth outreach officer, said that back in her school days she was a member of Angel, a group of gay and transgender students at Maejo University. The group was founded to build a network among gay and transgender students to spend after-class time doing volunteer and charity projects. Now that Thitiyanan is a full-time officer at Mplus, she often visits her university and invites young students to join volunteer projects with Mplus.Seated beside her was Phad Thepthai, drop-in clinic manager who serves as a health-care consultant. "Many come to visit us for advice because they don't feel comfortable when visiting local hospitals."Phad added that at the Mplus head office, a free drop-in clinic for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV screening is provided. "From the day I started here at Mplus, almost five lives were saved from suicide attempts," Phad revealed.Beside health-care services, once a month at the office there is a "Gay Movie Night", when most films are selected for their special gay culture messages. Besides its official website, http://www.mplusthailand.com, there is also a free monthly magazine, More than Man, edited by Mplus staff and volunteers as another medium to communicate with members and promote the organisation.Today, Mplus has almost 20 officers and about 1,200 registered members from all over Chiang Mai and other cities in the North. International students from all over the world, from Romania to Japan, have visited and applied for internships with Mplus.The gay pride parade last month was supposed to be the most important event for Mplus staff and members. Unfortunately, due to concern for the safety of the parade participants and the unpredictable consequences, as the president of the event Pongthorn decided to call it off."I remember one of them yelled at us and said, 'If you wish to have your gay parade here in Chiang Mai, just wait another 1,500 years!' Pongthorn recalled. "I'm telling you now, we are not going to wait that long," he remarked with determination.Keep this page into your personal bookmark:http://www.bangkokpost.com/leisure/leisure...e-and-prejudice