Friday’s Journal
By Sarah
We woke up today knowing we had to drag ourselves out of bed on time so we can attend the Sexualities, Genders and Rights in Asia Conference. After all it is one of the agenda of our study trip to Bangkok we were curiously looking forward to … but we arrived an hour late. There is a good reason of course, and always (our cab dropped us at the wrong train station and traffic was fantastic).
But more importantly, Ms Kanokrat Lertchoosaku, a notable political science lecturer in Chulalongkorn University mentioned a quotable quote last night, which seems an apt introduction to the conference we attended today. She said:
“Historically, the world has always been changed by minorities.”
Today we saw a gathering of minorities at the first ever Sexualities, Genders and Rights in Asia conference and it certainly promises a change of perspective to the gendered world we know of today.
The conference congregated academics, filmmakers, students, NGOs and many other ‘peoples’ and organisations, which are interested in the theories and practices of “queer” identities and developments. It is a new term which, seem to encompass every alternative sexuality other than heterosexuality.
Attending the different talks— as most of us hopped from one conference room to another to make the best of our only day there— Communication studies has undoubtedly made the conference seem more tolerable and comprehensible in its language and in the issues discussed.
After three years in Monash, I finally see some use to the theories and more theories we rehearsed in University. Today we saw how theories came to be realized in practice and such theories seem to play an integral role in the development of individuals.
After an entire day of attending talks and discussions, we headed back to our backpackers lodge in the little vehicles that resembled a hybrid of a motorcycle and a trishaw, called tuk-tuk. As it weaves its way through the rush hour we arrived at our backpackers lodge safe.
Today was certainly a worthy part of our agenda on this study trip to Bangkok, Thailand.
An Eye Opening trip for the team I am sure
Comment by Nick Tay — July 9, 2005 @ 6:39 pm