Hong Kong is safe to vis, Gay Gam team tells foreigners worryg about natnal secury law | South Cha Morng Post

Contents:

• GAYS THAILAND: IS A LGBT IENDLY UNTRY FOR TOURISM?
• 5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)
• THE BTER TTH BEHD THAILAND'S GAY-IENDLY IMAGE
• TOP 5 GAY RORTS THAILAND
• GAY THAILAND
• THE 10 BEST THAILAND GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS THAILAND
• GAY THAILAND · COUNTRY GUI
• TRAVEL SAFETY REPORT: 20 WORST PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2021
• THAILAND GAY TRAVEL

GAYS THAILAND: IS A LGBT IENDLY UNTRY FOR TOURISM?

The Thai Government has approved a same-sex civil partnership bill to crease the legal rights of gay and lbian upl, and Bangkok’s top private hospal, Bumngrad, opened a clic specifilly for LGBTQ+ patients 2021.

Homophobia still exists, of urse, as do every untry, but is rare Thailand, and beg ls mon as young Thai people are reared a natn that’s creasgly clive of gay and lbian people.

5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)

The wispread warmth Thailand towards the gay and lbian muny was highlighted April 2021 after a Thai gay uple received ath threats om Indonian ter ers for postg photos of their weddg. A 2015 poll, rried out the same year the anti-discrimatn laws were fally passed, found that nearly 89% of Thais would accept LGBT lleagu, 80% would not md if a fay member was LGBT and 60% were favour of legalizg gay marriage.

For those lookg for a slightly more low-key optn (this uld be only very slightly), Pattaya offers great nightlife and gay beach, tropil Phet is somewhere to lie by the sea durg the day and dance on the beach all night; and of urse, there are plenty more geo beach and islands to hop around on that are more off the beaten track. For those travellers who prefer the mountas to the beach, Thailand’s send-biggt cy Chiang Mai the North has a spirual atmosphere and stunng scenery, although the gay scene is somewhat subdued.

Gay travellers should do some rearch before gog to ensure they are open to foreigners and relatively salubr; and travellers should be aware of the high prevalence of HIV Thailand and take rponsible preutns.

THE BTER TTH BEHD THAILAND'S GAY-IENDLY IMAGE

We have put together a list of our favoure gay hook up apps to e while travelg, but you might also want to bsh up on your gay sna etiquette if you want some simple, steamy fun…. The reason is that, although daily life Thailand lbians, gays and transgenr people live wh total normaly, Thai law is not as liberal as most of the society.

The tolerance of Thai society means that gays, lbians and trans -men and women alike- have a relatively ee life to live and exprs themselv as they are. And surely that is why Bangkok attracts lns of gay tourists, immigrants and expats search of fun, a eer life or a relatnship that their untri of orig would be rejected, clanste or simply impossible. Although the are nothg but sensatns or beliefs whout much foundatn, this n be extend to gay men, or to anyone who mov away om the heteronormative non.

In fact, this type of discrimatn is rerced by the image that Thai media giv of gay men: ivolo, obssed wh any man who pass by, humoro and foul-mouthed.

TOP 5 GAY RORTS THAILAND

Also, many gay people Thailand tend to intify themselv strongly wh an ‘active’ or ‘passive’ role, somethg that seems que old-fashned the Wt, but not Thailand. The realy may not be that simple, and realy many gay Thais are versatile, but self-intifitn wh an ‘active’ or ‘passive’ role will help them troduce themselv and relate to their gay iends a particular way.

Instead, Songkran has bee an unofficial Pri, drawg thoands of gays om all across Asia durg the week of parti and splashy street water fights. Sourc clu Human Rights Watch, the Gallup World Poll and ILGA (the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Associatn), jt to name a few. “They were one of the first untri to legalize same-sex marriage, they have nstutnal anti-discrimatn protectns and the majory of Canadians report that is a safe place to live for gay and lbian people.

GAY THAILAND

“Neverthels, there are other stat where gay, trans and non-bary people are targets, both legislatively and their day-to-day liv, ” he says. Some of the notable chang sce Fergson started dog this report 2019: 15 new untri have eher legalized gay marriage or allowed same-sex upl to register as civil unns.

And the past 12 months alone, Swzerland, Slovenia and Cuba have legalized gay marriage, while Sgapore, Sat Kts & Nevis, Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda crimalized same-sex relatnships. “For stance, Bolivia gay marriage isn’t ‘legal’ but a handful of upl have been able to register their marriage by petng the urts, ” says Fergson.

THE 10 BEST THAILAND GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS THAILAND

Another challenge: While some of the world is tchg up to equal rights for gay and lbian upl, transgenr and non-bary people still have the furtht way to go. Gays and lbians have been allowed to serve openly the ary sce 2005 and many piec of anti-discrimatn legislatn have been troduced sce 2015. Bangkok ed to have a pri event om 1999 until 2009, but was disntued bee of a mix of distert om lol Thai activists, lack of fundg and homophobia om the police and ernment.

In an attempt to help terme the worst plac for gay travelers, the duo created the 2019 LGBTQ+ Danger Inx, rankg the world’s most dangero—and saft—untri for gay travelers.

The journalists looked at the top 150 most-vised untri the world by the number of g tourists, then ranked them g eight factors, cludg laws agast gay relatnships, legal protectn agast discrimatn and more. “In 2018, India managed to annul Sectn 377, a Brish lonial-era law prohibg ‘unnatural acts, ’ orr to legalize nsensual gay sex, ” says Fergson, who pots out that ancient Indian lerature such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana have many referenc to LGBTQ+ hero cludg transgenr warrrs and two queens who ma love orr for one queen to get pregnant wh an heir for their kgdom. “Long story short, this pots to the fact that was likely the Brish fluence that largely led to Indian homophobia the first place, ” she says.

GAY THAILAND · COUNTRY GUI

“We found this to be a b ironic as the reason for many of the harsh homophobic laws untri throughout the world is largely leftover om laws created durg Brish le, ” says Fergson. Ci like Lisbon and Porto have the bt gay scen the untry and Portugal is hopg to host the 2022 Europri, the world's biggt event celebratg gay pri Europe.

Wh an overall natnal attu that is relaxed and acceptg towards homosexualy, Belgium is known for havg a vibrant gay and lbian scene, particularly Bssels, ” says Fergson. It was ranked so highly largely due to the extreme penalti for simply beg gay, which clu up to 14 years prison and the ath penalty stat unr Sharia law, ” says Fergson.

TRAVEL SAFETY REPORT: 20 WORST PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2021

“This oil-rich Middle Eastern untry enforc up to three years prison, floggg and the ath penalty unr Sharia law for any acts of homosexualy.

THAILAND GAY TRAVEL

“Sdi Arabia is another of the untri on our list which implements the ath penalty for nsensual homosexualy unr their terpretatn of Sharia law, ” says Fergson. “In Tanzania, any homosexual acts rult 30 years to life prison, and there has been a recent ernment crackdown on LGBT activy wh the untry. “Iran ma #6 on the x, due part to s extreme punishments for homosexualy, which clu 100 lash for homosexual terurse or the ath penalty, and 31 lash for same-sex acts other than terurse, ” says Fergson.

“Publicly, homosexualy is a taboo topic, so LGBTQ+ travelers choosg to vis Sudan should proceed wh utn and rema discreet wh regards to their sexualy. “Historilly, Barbados and some other Caribbean islands have had poor anti-LGBTQ+ legislatn and practic, largely left over om the Brish occupatn which put the laws place and rerced anti-gay attus. Unfortunately, imposed punishment for homosexualy is severe and the existence of gay people Malaysia was nied by their tourism mister as recently as March 2019, ” says Fergson.

That said, the LGBTQ+ muny is margalized this untry and there are heavy nsequenc for beg homosexual, which clu seven years to life prison for any same-sex act, ” says Fergson. Unfortunately, thgs may soon be gettg even worse for the LGBTQ+ muny, as the Ugandan ernment has recently lled to retroduce an anti-homosexualy bill, which would clu the ath penalty for same-sex acts, the midst of the recent murr of a gay Ugandan activist. “In the Paltian terrori of Gaza and the Wt Bank, the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is taken very serly, wh homosexual acts rultg up to 10 years prison, ” says Fergson.