To celebrate Pride Month, we picked a short documentary on LGBTQ+ riverside communities from the Our Mekong, Our Say film series — a project by the Internews’ Earth Journalism Network that supports journalists and content producers to tell their stories relating to natural resource governance.
Mekong Cotton sheds light on the LGBTQ+ communities shaping the popularity of the textile industry in northeastern Thailand.
They design and develop fabrics to sustain their livelihoods, while promoting the work of local artisans, many of whom use cotton planted on the Mekong River’s banks as their main material.
This textile not only brings pride to the LGBTQ+ communities, but also plays a major role in spreading local culture beyond its origins through unique fabric patterns, fashions and costumes used in the entertainment industry.
However, challenges have arisen as the Mekong’s irregular flow became the new norm, while unpredictable floods and drought persisted — influenced by factors like rapid development and hydropower dams.
As a result, local artisans faced a shortage of natural cotton and had to turn to factory-made versions, which they said was not as delicate as those growing on the riverbanks.
This threatens not only the fabric’s quality, but also the unique cultural heritage it represents. Some were concerned that the disappearance of Mekong riverbank cotton may lead to the loss of some fabric patterns as they could only be made with natural cotton.
It will also disrupt the pride of LGBTQ+ communities as they see their networks as the backbone of cultural promotion through textile products.
Screened in Thailand last year, Mekong Cotton was praised for shining a light on the intersection between river governance and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as showing how the changing river affects them in profound ways.
Watch the film:
Our Mekong, Our Say is a one-year project run by the Internews’ Earth Journalism Network. It supported more than 25 professional and citizen journalists in the lower Mekong region to produce films and stories that reflect the environmental challenges and people’s resilience in protecting natural resources.
