Desiring Thai Men: Asian Gay Media and Transforming Masculinities

by Narupon Duangwises, Peter A. Jackson

Overview

Desiring Thai Men traces the transformative influence of vernacular Thai-language media on Thailand's gay communities from the 1980s through the 2010s. Narupon Duangwises and Peter A. Jackson analyze dramatic changes in the visual representation and languaging of masculine desire and sexual identity among Thai gay men that were reflected in Thai gay magazines and gendered practices in Bangkok's gay bars, fitness centers, and video chatrooms. Multiple masculine identities emerged in Thailand's communities of men who have sex with men from the intersecting influences of commercial gay media and gay venues. Distinctive class-based, contextualized, and flexible masculinities evolved among ethnically diverse Thai gay men in a capitalist setting of print and online media and expanding consumerist lifestyles.

Desiring Thai Men argues that evolving forms of masculinity among Thai men who pursue men offer insights for reexamining class dynamics in transnational queer and media studies and for the applicability of hegemonic masculinity beyond Western contexts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501783630
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	10/15/2025
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Narupon Duangwises is head of the research section at the Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. His research focuses on gender, sexuality, queer theory and cultural anthropology.

Peter A. Jackson is Emeritus Professor of Thai History and Cultural Studies at the Australian National University. His research focuses on Buddhism, magical cults and gay, lesbian and transgender cultures in Asia.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Acting the Man in Gay Thailand
1. Thai Gay Language of Masculinity and Effeminacy
2. Thai Gay Magazines, Gay Bars, and Bar Boys
3. The Straight Male Nude and Thai Gay Masculinities
4. Fitness Culture, Masculinity, and Thailand's Gay Middle Class
5. The Alternative Masculinity of Working-Class Coyote Boy Dancers
6. Confirmations of Masculinity in Thai Gay Video Chat Rooms
Conclusion: Capitalism, Class, and Thailand's Multiple Gay Masculinities

What People are Saying About This

Brian Curtin

Providing sharp insights into traditional overlooked artifacts and visual imagery, within a fascinating cultural history, Desiring Thai Men is an important and highly accessible resource for scholars of queer and Asian studies.

From the Publisher

Explores how Thai gay magazines shaped national culture from the 1980s-2010s.

Saskia Wieringa

A fascinating study of the flexible, class-based, and evolving masculinities of men in Thailand. Based on longstanding fieldwork, the result is a rich tapestry of voices in the discourse on masculinities, with surprising conclusions about gender and sexual identity.