Uncosy confines

re: "Power of protest" (BP, PostBag, June 9, 2022) 

Dear editor,

Closets, of course, come in a variety of forms. The traditional gay closet was so called because it is so easy for gay men and lesbian women to publicly deny that major aspect of their lives, and by passing as heterosexual to reinforce the morally repugnant social constructs fuelling hate and fear of how nature creates about 5% of the human species. Other socially constructed closets long confined women to overtly inferior status in society. And then there are the closets constructed to keep those of different skin tones segregated from each other, with those in the inferior space expected to be grateful for the alleged tolerance granted them by legalized containment in their proper places. All such cramped and cramping closets deserve to be smashed. 

Another hell-hole closet is that protected by Thai law that imprisons patriotic Thais who choose not to pass as alleged normals in unquestioning faith in allegedly hoary myth, choosing instead to honestly advocate for the basic human right to hold and peacefully express an opinion as an equal member of their society. Such pro-democracy patriots do not, as bigots falsely allege, "hate the nation." On the contrary, their suffering at the hands of unjust law backing the slurs of bigotted intolerance is proof that they are the true Thai patriots, making very real personal sacrifice to help their nation move forward socially, politically, and morally, which benevolent and righteous progress history teaches us correlates strongly with improved economic growth, justice and equality for all.  

 Felix Qui

_______________________________

The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on June 12, 2022, under the title "Uncosy confines" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2324498/rank-injustice