Asia’s batn of open-md religns and warm, iendly people has long ma a favoure statn for gay travellers. Here is our pick of five spots across Asia where LGBT travellers n be sure of a warm wele and a great time.
Contents:
- TAIPEI, ONE OF THE MOST GAY-FRIENDLY CI ASIA
- CHA’S LGBT COMMUNI: EXPLORG THE CHE “GAY CY”
- THE GAY-FRIENDLY CI HAVE LOTS TO OFFER LGBTQ BUYERS—INCLUDG AFFORDABLE HOM
- THE METRO AREAS WH THE LARGT, AND SMALLT, GAY POPULATNS
TAIPEI, ONE OF THE MOST GAY-FRIENDLY CI ASIA
The bt tips for LGBT what to do Taipei, gay night clubs, gay bars, gay snas, LGBTQ+ events, gay iendly hotels and more * gay cities asia *
When you’ve filled up on tasty Thai cuise and want to burn off those extra lori, dance the night away DJ Statn, one of Bangkok’s most famo gay clubs.
CHA’S LGBT COMMUNI: EXPLORG THE CHE “GAY CY”
Gay men margal provc like Haan are claimg spac and buildg muni their own secret worlds. * gay cities asia *
The lols accept and wele all tourists regardls of sexual orientatn, and there are plenty of gay-iendly venu where you n eher go all out or let your hair down. When the sun go down, grab a cktail or two the Semyak regn, where you’ll fd well-tablished gay bars such as Mixwell and Bali Kong has more skyscrapers than New York, makg a fantastic holiday statn for those who want to lose themselv a ncrete maze.
You’ll fd LGBT-iendly bars all over Shanghai, but s gay-iendly spas, gyms and massage parlours make this Che metropolis a unique statn for the LGBT muny. Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love. There are more than 60 untri wh laws that crimalise same-sex sexual acts acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, cludg Sdi Arabia.
'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022.
THE GAY-FRIENDLY CI HAVE LOTS TO OFFER LGBTQ BUYERS—INCLUDG AFFORDABLE HOM
Beg Asian Amerin and LGBTQ+ n feel lonely, wh stutns such as ethnic church often disavowg non-heterosexual relatnships while tradnal LGBTQ+ spac such as gay bars n be unwelg. * gay cities asia *
Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife.
The uple, who live London, said a "really betiful memory" was on the way home when one of their sons shouted out of the black b wdow to Trafalgar Square, "My dads jt got married" and cheered "Yay, gay marriage". Bt tip for your trip to Taipei:Way Away Get low-st flights to TaipeiGay-Friendly Hotels Taipei:GS Gay Hotel (Budget hostel, 500 m away om a lively night market)Amba Taipei Ximendg (Mid-range, loted the gay-iendly district of Ximendg)Wtgate Hotel (High-end hotel, close to a big variety of attractns).
THE METRO AREAS WH THE LARGT, AND SMALLT, GAY POPULATNS
Wtern regns top the list, perhaps the most tailed analysis yet of the mography of gay and lbian Ameri. * gay cities asia *
Whether you’re seekg a fun gay night out or simply a place to unwd and be yourself, Ximendg is an excellent spot to immerse yourself Taipei’s LGBTQ+ culture.
Taipei is renowned for s thrivg gay sna scene Asia, offerg a variety of optns cludg tradnal Taiwane hot sprgs, a popular statn among gay lols and tourists. For the past weeks, I vised some famo plac where queer people gather— such as gay bars, teaho, and LGBT-related anizatns— and nsulted some rearch papers done by the lol soclogists. Chengdu is voted as “the gay cy of Cha”, not only bee has the most nsirable amount of openly LGBT people, but addnally, s tolerant attu attracts many LGBT people to e and settle there.
There are some wonrful statns throughout Asia burstg wh gay-iendly tablishments, nightlife, and events. * gay cities asia *
Chengdu has more than 30 gay bars and a large map of social gatherg spots for MSM (an abbreviatn of ‘Men who have sex wh Men’), cludg teaho, clubs, and public bathrooms. The owner of Chengdu’s largt gay bathroom MC Space claims that “’s a place where you have romantic enunters”; however, the spac earn gay people a bad reputatn among the rt of society. Upon hearg the news, there was public outrage, and ultimately epened the negative stereotype which many people attach to gay people about them beg unually promiscuo.
In my experience, when talkg about the subject of homosexualy Cha, most people’s first reactn would be to associate wh HIV and STDs, which is ed by their “sful liftyle”. Even though no current law Cha is explicly agast homosexualy; one n still easily overstep to the forbidn zone of polics when discsg , which leads to censorship as proven by the banned WeChat acunts. Therefore, non-LGBT people tend to be nonchalant of homosexual behavrs as long as don’t actively ncern them, and LGBT people tend not to publicize their beliefs anyways.
* gay cities asia *
There has been some excellent rearch to the emergence of gay and lbian inti Cha, cludg how the have been shaped by ro-Amerin ias of “gay sensibily” and characterised by “dividualy, difference, sophistitn, liberatn and morny”.
One 2018 study tailed gay bars Shanghai that rivalled those of any wtern pal, the anisatn of “pri” events and the tense ntexts which “queer” film ftivals and wir cultural productn and activism occur the face of ntued regulatn by the thorarian state. Inspired by those experienc, for the past eight years, I have been rryg out rearch wh gay men the regn and, 2018, pleted a PhD this explorg gay liv Haan.
My rearch explor how gay men Haan unrstand themselv, build muni and negotiate the prsur to nform to the heterosexual life script of marriage and reproductn. “When we get there, don’t say any gay stuff, ” Ah Tao warns me as we approach a shop the cut-out rner of a buildg at an tersectn wh an even narrower alley. In the island’s biggt ci, Haikou and Sanya, there are gay bars and tablished cisg areas certa parks, centrally loted yet variably beyond the view of the wir public.