Yvonne Bohwongprasert, a feature writer in the Life section of the Bangkok Post, writes in a column on Mar 1, 2012:

Cover of Volume, a mainstream women's fashion magazine that attracts a large gay readership

On the outside, it might seem that gays, transgenders and lesbians have assimilated well into Thai society. However, in reality this is far from true. While I don't fall into any of the aforementioned sexual orientations, I have an uncle who is gay, a nephew who is showing likely signs of being gay and a handful of gay friends who have become a part of my family through years of friendship. From spending time in their circle of friends, I have deduced a genuine need to campaign against homophobia, which can demonstrate its ugly side through various ways. What I have found is not so much outward hostility towards or fear of gay people, but rather social ideologies which stigmatise homosexuality.

Homophobia is unfortunately far from new in this predominantly Buddhist nation. Despite the Buddha's core teachings of compassion, most people opt to treat such individuals with disdain, often making homosexuals and transgenders objects of ridicule in movies, television commercials and daily conversation. They are often labelled as being promiscuous, self-indulgent and deserving of little respect. The holier-than-thou approach of people who feel they are justified in poking fun at gays and lesbians because of the belief that they have supposedly committed sins, particularly adultery I was told, in their past lives is in my opinion the perfect excuse to have a laugh at the expense of someone who has little means of retaliating.

...

Truth be told, Thai-style "tolerance" is only applicable when you stay put in your place and march to the drum of the cultural pecking order. It is a well-known fact that Gay Pride parades in provinces such as Chiang Mai are often not encouraged on the pretext that it will damage their reputable cultural heritage. Marginalising people due to their sexual orientation is taking the country back to the Stone Age. It is pivotal to address LGBT rights, which is an integral part of human rights.