Sao Saw Et

Sao Saw Et (Thai: เสาร์ซาวเอ็ด, lit: Saturday the 21st, in Northern Thai) was the discrimination against LGBT in Thailand that consists of hate speeches and violent attempts to cancel the 2009 Pride Parade in Chiang Mai Province of which was scheduled to take place on 21 February 2009.[2] It was considered an important event in history of Thai LGBT[3] and was compared to the Stonewall Riots in the US.[1] The date, 21 February, was annually observed as the day against violence against LGBT in Thailand amongst the activists.[4]

Sao Saw Et
Part of LGBT history in Thailand
10-year commemorative event in 2019
Date21 February 2009
Location
Phutthasathan Chiang Mai and Wat Uppakhut, Mueang District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

18.7876689°N 99.0019783°E / 18.7876689; 99.0019783
GoalsCancellation of Chiang Mai Pride Parade
MethodsBlockade, hate speech, curses, throwing things
Parties to the civil conflict
Rak Chiang Mai 51 Group
and anti-parade group
22 organisations organising the parade
Number
1,000[1]
Unknown

Incidents

The Chiang Mai Gay Parade was initially organised by 22 LGBT organisations with the scheduled date of 21 February 2009. The parade would start from The Buddhist monastery Phutthasathan Chiang Mai and the nearby Wat Uppakhut and march along the Chang Khlan Road through the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, starting from 18.00.

However, after the event was announced, various groups of people including several LGBT activists leading by Nathee Theerarotchanaphong; a Thai conservative LGBT and political activist, began to call for the local government agencies to step in for cancellation of the event. Amongst the reasons given for the parade to be cancelled are: “destroying the beautiful Lanna culture“, “causing the youths to imitate the [LGBT] behaviours”.[1] Local government officials, including the province governor and the head of cultural division inclined towards the cancellation. Moreover, local news agencies and radio stations at the time were reported to spread hate speeches towards the LGBTs and even incite the crowds to throw things and block the parade route.[5][1]

On the scheduled date, 21 February 2009, the parade organisers and participants gathered inside of the Phutthasathan Chiang Mai Monastery to prepare the parade. Around 16.00, a politically-inclined Red Shirt group called the Rak Chiang Mai 51 Group, armed, gathered around the gate of the monastery, constraining the parade participants inside. The armed group that has reportedly to consist of a thousand people, put up the banners and using speakers to curse the LGBTs trapped inside the blockade. Some parade organisers were reportedly injured from the stone-throwers.[6][3] A troop of 100 police officers later arrived at the scene, doing nothing to stop the ongoing violence. The officers, indeed, called for the parade organisers to cancel the parade and apologise to the infuriating crowds. The parade organisers finally apologise to the crowd and cancel the parade after four hours of aggression from the armed crowds, for the sake of the parade participants who were reportedly nervous.[2][1]

The calls for the parade cancellations varies from mild “allowing the parade to be held only with the term Gay to be removed from the event’s name”[2], to more aggressive ones like “prohibiting such event to be held in Chiang Mai for other 1,500 years.[7]

Aftermath

The group called Sao Saw Et was formed in order to educate people on peaceful living with LGBT and eliminating the violence against LGBT people.

gollark: Although they'd probably be outcompeted by stuff which didn't waste resources replicating DNA it doesn't need.
gollark: An ecosystem of competing backups of things would be *interesting*.
gollark: I think you would mostly want to move it onto an electronic system as fast as possible to avoid any weirdness.
gollark: Random, but okay?
gollark: Oh, right.

References
  1. Yodhong, Chanan (18 February 2020). ""ยินดียิ่งแล้ว แขกแก้วมาไพรด์" กับเหตุผลที่เราต้องไป Chiang Mai Pride 2020 กัน". The Matter. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. "เกย์ไพรด์ยอมถอย หลังรักเชียงใหม่"51 ขวาง อ้างเสียภาพเมืองวัฒนธรรม". Prachatai. 22 February 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. Yodhong, Chanan (28 February 2017). "ด้วยเหตุนี้ไทยแลนด์จึงไม่ใช่แดนสวรรค์ของ LGBT". The Matter. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. มโนจันทร์เพ็ญ, ณรงค์กร (22 February 2019). "เชียงใหม่ไพรด์ 2019: 10 ปี เสาร์ซาวเอ็ดรำลึก พื้นที่แห่งความเท่าเทียมสำหรับทุกคน". The Standard. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. "แดงเชียงใหม่ปลุกระดมปิดศาลากลาง". PostToday. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. "ถ่อยซ้ำซาก เสื้อแดงเชียงใหม่ปิดล้อมปาน้ำเลือดหมูเน่าใส่กลุ่มเกย์". OKnation. 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. คุณากร, [นามแฝง] (25 February 2019). "Riot on the Rainbow Street: จุดพลังไพรด์เชียงใหม่ในรอบ 10 ปี เพื่อ สิทธิ ศักดิ์ศรี และเท่าเทียม". The Momentum. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
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