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ไทย
Mr. Supraipon Chuaychoo, or “Pop”, never thought of himself as political material. Born into a struggling Bangkok family, with a granny, a dad, two half brothers and sisters, and a faraway mom, Pop learned how to grow up by the virtues of hard work, economy, optimism and perseverance.
Pop took a long but proud route to a university graduation. But he found himself so involved in the so-called “Red Shirts” movement, a Thai people’s gathering against dictatorship since their first military takeover in 2006. There Pop learned more the important virtues of rights, freedom, liberty and human dignity. Until he became convinced that life is worth a sacrifice for democracy.
Before becoming the very first openly gay candidate of Thailand’s parliamentary election, Pop clearly knew of his sexual orientation since the age of eight. He realized that he had a man’s body and a unisex nature wrapped around it. The “gay” Pop went through all types of bullying, including his own family’s attempt to “straighten him up” and social mocking for many years.
But Pop has always been adamant about being who he is. Steadfast, determined, but not aggressive, he finally won by ridding himself and everyone around him of this issue. He never thought twice about it, until he found out about the agony and pains of millions more LGBTQ people around the world, which signaled that his mission was just about to begin.
Following this diverse background, Supraipon is now a candidate for a Bangkok parliamentary seat. He is not wealthy or of a known family name, nor has any powers behind him. But he has the powers of belief, optimism, a sense of right and wrong, and honour as a full human being – and he is embarking on this journey without asking for anyone’s permission. He is to be reaching his and your world and to better it all.