This Is What It's Like To Travel As A Gay Asian Man

Contents:

• 14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE
• TAIPEI, ONE OF THE MOST GAY-FRIENDLY CI ASIA
• THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO TRAVEL AS A GAY ASIAN MAN
• I KNOW A LOT OF GAY ASIAN MEN WHO ARE ACTUALLY TOPS: MANAGG AND NEGOTIATG GAY RACIAL STIGMA

14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE

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. 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. Jt about every bar and rtrant Hong Kong is gay-iendly, wh some clubs terg exclively to the LGBT muny, such as FLM, TIME Bar and Pettiat Lane.

TAIPEI, ONE OF THE MOST GAY-FRIENDLY CI ASIA

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.

Many of the cy’s most popular gay bars are also loted jt off of the Sala Daeng skyway statn, which is about a 10-mute walk om Silom. Once you’re worn out om a long hike or bike ri, blow off some steam at one of the gay bars sttered throughout the cy like Zoo Bar or Pettiat Lane.

THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO TRAVEL AS A GAY ASIAN MAN

And should you fd yourself there the month of September, be sure to check out the Hong Kong Lbian and Gay Film Ftival for a variety of films and shorts by queer Che artists. But if you’re lookg to check out the gay scene s tt form, you’ll fd yourself Shju Ni-chome—Tokyo’s gayt neighborhood, which is home to over 300 gay bars packed to a 13-block radi. The only laws that protect LGBT dividuals are one that allow gay men to serve the ary and one that allows people to change their legal genr.

I KNOW A LOT OF GAY ASIAN MEN WHO ARE ACTUALLY TOPS: MANAGG AND NEGOTIATG GAY RACIAL STIGMA

Bali has about three gay bars, all of which are loted next door om each other on the same street lled Jalan Camplung Tand Ar Semyak.

As ci across the regn beg to ter more wily to the gay market, the optns available to the discerng gay visor are greater than ever. Perennially popular Bangkok boasts an tablished gay scene and, while hotels, rtrants, bars and clubs right across Thailand are welg of gay ctomers, much of Bangkok’s gay society is centered on fashnable Silom Road.

The slew of visor-iendly gay bars on Silom Soi 4 make the perfect spot for people watchg, as crowds ngregate for drks on street-si terrac before the grand nighttime exod to Bangkok’s largt and most famo gay club, DJ Statn. Apparently named after a Shanghai baret owner, Maggie Choo’s hosts a gay night every Sunday, where the girls on swgs are replaced by topls men silk pants and turbans. Jt a stone’s throw om Silom’s gay epicenter, gay-owned Eat Me on Convent Road is now a long-stanr on the Bangkok dg scene and yet manag to mata an excellent reputatn for s ventive menu of fn dish.

Elsewhere, while the curly named WTF Bar & Gallery Shumv’s Thong Lor area attracts a distctly mixed crowd, that clus a healthy dose of gay travelers pulled by the mix of rotatg art exhibns on the upper floor and the blend of fn food, craft beers and one-off imported spirs the downstairs bar – where the atmosphere chang om zy and timate on midweek nights to an excg vibe on Friday and Saturday evengs when the party spills out onto the siwalk.

Bali’s actn is foced around Semyak, and particularly on Jalan Camplung Tand, where you’ll fd Mixwell and Bali Joe, two popular long-standg gay bars wh nightly shows. On the wateront, neher Ku De Ta nor the Potato Head Beach Club are explicly gay, but both attract a substantial gay clientele and are sential ponents to any vis to Bali. For beach actn, Batu Belig and Double Six beach are known for attractg gay visors; both are wh easy reach of Semyak and make for a sual spot offerg a selectn of food and drk, ocean views and iendly pany.

Wh an open-md, tolerant outlook and a growg reputatn as the San Francis of the east, Taipei is quickly emergg as one of Asia’s most gay-iendly and welg statns.

Homosexualy is wily accepted Cambodia and tourists enjoy an open-md wele, though lols rema discreet and g out is still not always an easy optn.

As well as rooms, the luxur, flamboyantly signed gay-only Men’s Rort featur a spa, sna, pool and gym which to while away the days.

Siem Reap’s first gay bar, sign-led Lga has been open sce 2004 and attracts a sophistited crowd crazy about s famed cktail list, people watchg opportuni and Saturday night drag show – there’s now a spa on the premis, too. The oh-so-red Miss Wong bar, wh s old Shanghai spired dér, is gay-iendly and boasts a drks menu that mak e of lol gredients like chilli and lemongrass. A ban on gay marriage was repealed at the start of 2015 forward-thkg Vietnam, and ’s jt one reflectn of a rapidly evolvg gay scene the untry’s charmgly chaotic southern cy.

Saigon offers a smaller selectn of gay venu than other Asian ci, and many lotns attract more of a mixed crowd, but the number of optns is growg. Gay-owned The Fig Café serv up morn Vietname dish stylish surrounds, wh emphasis on anic gredients; the rtrant also boasts an extensive list of French, Chilean and Atralian w. Usg the Spartac Gay Travel Inx alongsi rmatn on ernment legislatn and the gay scene, we brg you the most LGBTQ-Friendly ci Asia (rmatn rrect at July 2021).

The gay scene Taipei is epic all year round but the highlights are the Mr Gay Taiwan pageant, the WOOW Pool Party and the Forma Pri Party.

Kathmandu is high on our list of gay-iendly ci thanks to the progrsive Nepale nstutn of 2007 which troduced lots of pro-LGBTQ laws.

Also, wh the tablishment of a legally regnised third genr tegory, Nepale transgenr people are some of the most protected the world and legal gay marriage is imment! There is no Pri Ftival Thailand, though Bangkok holds the Songkran Gay Circu Party which is a wonrfully lourful and diverse replacement. The Thai thori are refg to acknowledge gay marriage and are offerg a limed number of rights the Partnership Registratn Bill stead.

Seoul has two gay villag, the ma one ‘Homo Hill’ is the Itaewon district, and the welg muni anise hundreds of events such as the Korea Queer Film Ftival and Seoul Drag Para. The Indian LGBTQ scene is still small and relatively unrground, but Mumbai, affectnately known as MumGay or The Gay Capal of India, is the most welg of all the big ci.

Mumbai Pri and the Mr Gay India pageant are huge opportuni to party together Mumbai while smaller, regular get-togethers are anised more and more bars and clubs. However, there are no laws to protect om discrimatn and most lol gay men will enter to heterosexual marriage and fatherhood rather than mtg to another man for life.

Gay tourists and ex-pats will feel at home here, fact, there has recently been a ncerted effort by bs across Cambodia to be more gay-iendly. The Toolbox Bar, The L Bar and Blue Chili are the ma hotspots and, if you’re the cy May, check out all the fun events that celebrate The Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia.

However, while most of the ci are unsafe to be openly gay, there are a few plac that not only acmodate LGBT tourists but also enurage more of them to vis. While the untry of Indonia as a general may not be regard as one of the saft plac for LGBT, s cy Bali is surprisgly gay-iendly. If you are seekg to check out the cy’s gay scene s te form, you will fd Shju Ni-chome which is often referred to as Tokyo’s gayt neighborhood.

Although the only laws so far that protect the gay people is the one that allows them to change their legal genr and also serve the ary, has already grown to be a very popular statn for gay travelers.