By Arusa Pisuthipan and Tingyong Un-Anongrak

He is widely recognised as a prominent gay rights activist and an HIV/Aids advocate as well as an environmental devotee. But to himself, Natee Teerarojjanapongs just wants to be identified as "Gay Natee".

"I usually refer to myself by using the word 'gay' in front of my name to show others that there is nothing wrong with being gay. To me, it's one way to deal with social prejudice. And I think it works, at least psychologically," said Natee, founder and head of the Gay Political Group of Thailand. Established in 2005, the group aims to provide an arena for people with sexual diversity to take part in political activities.

Among male homosexuals, as well as straight men, Natee is known as the first gay man to start using the word "gay" instead of Nai (Mr) in front of his name to label his gender identity, but he is not the only one to do so. His intention, he explains, was, and is, to challenge social scepticism and negative attitudes toward homosexuality.

Natee is also the first openly Thai gay man to be rejected by an insurance company when he wanted to purchase a life insurance policy simply because he is gay and was thus categorised in the "high risk" group. After his story made newspaper headlines last year, the insurance company issued a memorandum to its 80,000 insurance sales agents that they could accept insurance coverage applications from people with sexual diversity, thanks to his war against injustice.

In addition, Natee is the first openly gay man to be honoured as a Fellow by Ashoka, a global association that lauds people whose works are aimed at creating a better society.

In Thailand's political domain, Natee was the first openly gay man to decide to run for senator. He did that in 2006. Although he was unsuccessful in this attempt to win a seat in parliament, he says his political participation will at least help to change the poor image the general public has of gay people.

"My point was not to win the election," Natee recalls of his political campaign. "I just wished that people in general would stop believing that gays, or katoeys [transvestites], were only good at dancing or looking pretty. We have brains, too."

For more than two decades, Natee has been devoting his time and energy working as a gay rights activist trying to create a better perception of homosexuals. To resolve the public's misunderstanding over gays, Natee initiated the concept of gullagay ("a good gay"). This revolutionary idea, he says, parallels the Thai traditional value of gulla bhudr, gulla thida, literally "a good son, a good daughter".

Conveyed through all his moves is his core message that one's behaviours are not necessarily a fruit of one's sexual orientation. The word "homosexuality" does not spell sexual promiscuity. Same-sex lovers can be decent members of the society, too, he maintains.

"Admittedly, the image of homosexuals in Thai society is very sex-oriented. People usually have a grasp of gay men in the context of the 'ooh-la-la' world. In terms of sex, they think gay men and katoeys are fast and promiscuous. In terms of work and employment, they think we are not articulate or adaptive, that we can be only dancers or hairdressers. As for behaviour, the popular view is that we are naughty and verbally aggressive. But if they look at us more carefully, they will know that many of us are, and can do, better than that."

A native of Suphan Buri province, Natee is the only son of a Chinese couple. To all Chinese families, a son who cannot produce an heir for his parents is like a useless tree. And Natee was treated no different. So, the production of an heir for his old father then was his greatest responsibility, and it seemed like the only way to meet his parents' desire was to get married.

"My dad was so eager to see me the father of an heir for our family," recalls Natee, now 52. "Although I had realised ever since I was young that I was gay, I still needed to live up to my dad's expectations. So, I tried flirting with a girl in the fervent hope that intimacy with a female could change me. But I was totally wrong."

The young Natee at that time could not figure out any better solution than trying to find a place where he belonged. The United States - the Land of Freedom - popped up as his ideal haven. It was where people could live freely regardless of their sexual orientation, he thought. Natee decided to relocate to the destination he defines a "gay-friendly society".

Fortunately, his lifestyle fitted well with those of many other people in the US, where, he says, gay men are not compelled to be cross-dressers or pressured into behaving like women. Most importantly, homosexuals over there can live their lives without a high degree of pervasive social disdain.

After two years in the US studying jazz dance, Natee returned to his home country. It was about time for him to work toward a nicer and more tolerant society back here. In 1986, Natee launched an HIV/Aids prevention campaign called Gloom Sen See Kao (The White Line Dance Troupe). The campaign, he notes, incorporated contemporary dance and performing arts with only one message to deliver, and that was the importance of HIV/Aids prevention.

"The White Line Dance Troupe began its HIV/Aids-awareness presentation in gay bars and saunas, and soon our work spread outward to Thai society at large on a bigger scale, like giving performances in schools and shopping malls. Our focus was on disseminating knowledge about the disease and the preventive measures recommended for high-risk groups, especially men who have sex with men," Natee recounts.

That was perhaps his first step into the forefront of Thailand's social work as a full-time activist. Natee made up his mind to admit in his interview with Neon Magazine, a gay magazine, that he was gay. And, of course, his dear mother was extremely angry and disappointed.

"She drove me out and told me to go away. I didn't know what to do, so I left home. When I went back at night, however, I saw that she was still waiting for me. And she told me that no matter what I was, it was more important to be a good person. Then we cried and hugged each other. To me, that was the greatest turning point in my life."

Still a full-time gay rights activist, Natee Teerarojjanapongs lives with his partner in Chiang Mai.

These days, Natee lives in Chiang Mai. After having spent more than 15 years working for the HIV/Aids prevention cause, he has chosen to pursue a slower pace of life. "I am burned out, and I have had enough of HIV/Aids," he said. His decision was also partly due to the fact that he was beginning to develop permanent laryngitis from hard work. He made up up his mind to relocate north and live far away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city.

However, for an active man who used to spend most of his time working with and for people, living in absolute serenity was something he was not quite familiar with.

"My life in Chiang Mai at that time was perfect, but it seemed like something was missing. In the daytime, I didn't do much. I just drove around town and went home in the evening."

In 2000, Natee received the Utopia Award, which is presented annually to leading gay human rights advocates. It inspired him to resume his work as a social activist. The award, he says, made him realise that society had not forgotten him but still recognised his dedication to the community even though he had stepped out of active service.

As a result, though based in Chiang Mai, Natee made a comeback as a gay rights activist, raising public awareness of the rights of people with sexual diversity. His masterpiece, he says proudly, was in 2006 when the government stopped labelling katoeys as persons afflicted with "a permanent mental disorder" in their SorDor 43 conscription certificate.

His fight against social prejudice, the activist says, has been like a struggle for justice and equality for all.

"I don't want any privileges for gays; I just want them to be treated equally," he stresses.

To a gay like Natee, the most powerful weapon in the battle against social bias toward homosexuals is, in fact, for gay men themselves to first accept their own sexual identity and be bold enough to "come out of the closet". He says that it will help to raise the gay community's negotiation power, which will eventually lead to acceptance by other people in society.

"For those gay men who are considering coming out, I would encourage them to say 'yes' quickly because, after all is said and done, there is nothing wrong with being gay. Some people may think of me as a dictator who keeps telling others to do this and that ... but revealing one's own sexual identity is simply just telling the truth and does not make him a liar. In my opinion, when we gay men come out and show society that we have a firm standpoint, it is like giving ourselves and society an option. To me, to have an option means to have a way to survive."

When he was young, Natee used to believe that being born a gay man was the most tormenting experience in life, and that if he could choose freely, he would never want to be reborn with such a sexual orientation. He has since completely changed his mind.