Revisiting the ‘Thai gay paradise’: Negative attitudes toward same-sex relations despite sexuality education among Thai LGBT students

School settings are volatile and often violent for LGBT teens who are first coming to terms with their sexuality. We explored the attitudes of LGBT students in Thai secondary schools towards homosexuality. Students aged 12–19 years were surveyed in 393 public institutions providing secondary-school education in six regions of Thailand, selected by a multistage cluster sampling. Among 1088 LGBT-identified students, 378 (35%) reported negative attitudes toward homosexuality. Factors associated with homonegative attitudes in a multivariable logistic regression analysis were identifying as a transgender (Adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.1), having low academic performance (GPA scores of 2–3 [aOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.7-4.1] or less than 2 [aOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-2.]), and attending sexuality education classes covering topics such as bullying LGBT students (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.1) and safe homosexual practices (aOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.7-4.1). Sexuality education in its current form in Thai public schools may not be effective in reducing homonegative attitudes of LGBT-identified students. A more comprehensive sexuality education emphasising gender and rights along with strategies addressing social disparities due to sexual orientation is needed to enable Thai LGBT teens to accept their sexuality without shame and self-disrespect

Willingness to Use HIV Self-Testing With Online Supervision Among App-Using Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in Bangkok

An online assessment among social media-using young men who have sex with men found that 87% were willing to use HIV self-testing with online supervision. Correlates included never tested, having higher numbers of sexual partners, and seeking partners online. HIV self-testing with online supervision may be appropriate for young men who have sex with men who have high risks and may not access venue-based settings

'It's an ordinary matter':perceptions of cyberbullying in Thai youth culture

This qualitative study focuses on youth perceptions of cyberbullying (definition, causes, consequences, and management). We also articulate how perceptions of cyberbullying among Thai youth are influenced by Thai culture, including Thai youth culture. Data were collected from 15 to 24 year-olds in Central Thailand through 22 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 4-6 participants each, as well as 26 in-depth interviews (IDIs), totaling 136 participants. These youth defined cyberbullying as harming others through mobile phones and the Internet. To count as cyberbullying, actions had to cause real harm or annoyance and be committed with malicious intent. The relationship between the parties involved also mattered: close friends were unlikely to be considered cyberbullies. Participants thought that the anonymity of cyberspace is a key cause of cyberbullying but also that cyberbullying often results from previous offline incidents of violence. In their view, cyberbullying impacts individuals and their social interactions. Participants tended to manage the problem by themselves and not consult their parents. Alarmingly, participants viewed cyberbullying as 'an ordinary matter'. To raise awareness that cyberbullying is a societal problem with serious consequences, state agencies and educational institutions need to play active roles in preventing it and responding to it constructively when it occurs.</p

Willingness to Use HIV Self-Testing With Online Supervision Among App-Using Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in Bangkok

An online assessment among social media-using young men who have sex with men found that 87% were willing to use HIV self-testing with online supervision. Correlates included never tested, having higher numbers of sexual partners, and seeking partners online. HIV self-testing with online supervision may be appropriate for young men who have sex with men who have high risks and may not access venue-based settings

Group sex, suicidality and online partners: implications for HIV and suicide prevention: a short report

HIV-related factors and suicide-risk status were assessed among YMSM aged 18-24 years recruited through various MSM-related online social apps in Bangkok (N=1394). The online survey assessed demographic characteristics, sexual behaviours and suicide-risk status. Measure of suicide risk was taken from the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (cut-off score of seven or higher). Among participants, 249 (17.9%) reported suicide-risk. In multivariable logistic regression, correlates of suicide-risk status included having sometimes or often ever participated in group sex (AOR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.17-2.14), having received money or opportunities for sex (AOR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.09-2.17), often seeking partners online (AOR=1.59, 95% CI: 1.05-2.39), inconsistent condom use (AOR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.26-2.21), and self-assessed as having “medium” or “high” HIV risk (AOR=2.53, 95% CI: 1.61-3.98 and AOR=3.35, 95% CI: 1.92-5.82, respectively). Findings suggest that HIV risk behaviours shown by YMSM are significantly associated with higher risk of suicide

Social violence among Thai gender role conforming and non-conforming secondary school students: Types, prevalence and correlates.

BACKGROUND:Gender role non-conforming behaviors are a significant risk factor for school-related violence. The objective of this study is to describe the types, prevalence and correlates of social violence among Thai secondary school students, with a focus on gender role non-conformity. METHODS:This article uses secondary data from a national study of 2070 secondary school students aged 13-20 years representing Bangkok and all four regions of Thailand. Students were asked about their gender/sexual identity, self-perception of their masculinity or femininity, and experiences of social violence. Correlates of social violence were examined using multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS:Prevalence of social violence victimization was high (57%). Most students considered themselves to be as masculine or as feminine as other members of their sex (82.6%), while 9.1% thought that they were less masculine/less feminine, and 8.3% thought they were more masculine/more feminine. Students who considered themselves less masculine or less feminine than others of their sex (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.25) were more likely to experience social violence, compared to students who considered themselves equally masculine/feminine. Students who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.86) were also more likely to experience social violence, compared to students who did not identify as LGBT. However, students who considered themselves more masculine or feminine than other students of their sex (AOR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.88) were less likely to experience social violence. DISCUSSION:Students who identified as LGBT, or considered themselves to be less masculine or less feminine than other students of their sex, had higher odds of social violence victimization. Anti-bullying campaigns need to emphasize that perpetrating social violence is not tolerated, and gender-based violence needs to be included in comprehensive sexuality education curricula